Chinese New Year festival in Santa Rosa welcomes Year of the Ram

Clayton Wang welcomed the arrival of the Year of the Ram in style Saturday.

The 7-month-old donned a traditional gold embroidered silk suit and marveled at the colorful dragons that danced to bring him good luck and lions that pranced to scare away evil during Sonoma County’s annual Chinese New Year celebration.

“I think it’s an honor that he can be exposed to Chinese culture, especially the traditions and the dancing,” said Clayton’s father, 31-year-old Kevin Wang.

The Redwood Empire Chinese Association hosted its 25th annual Chinese New Year celebration at the Veterans Memorial Building on Saturday evening. More than 500 people ate fried rice, barbecued pork and stir-fry beef as they watched demonstrations of traditional Chinese dancing, drumming and martial arts.

The Chinese New Year, based on the lunar calendar, began Thursday . The most important holiday in Chinese culture, this year it marked the arrival of the Year of the Ram. Since the holiday is also celebrated in other Asian countries that observe the lunar calendar, is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year.

Mayor John Sawyer, sporting a traditional Chinese shirt, said he’s attended the festival for years, and always enjoys watching the children perform.

“How cool is that to be part of a dragon for a day!” Sawyer said.

The association has done an excellent job of not only keeping alive Chinese arts and traditions alive for its members but also of sharing their culture with the community, Sawyer said.

“They work hard at being inclusive and giving back not only to their own community, but to the greater Santa Rosa community, as well,” Sawyer said.

Indeed, Chinese culture wasn’t the only one on display Saturday. A Polynesian dance troupe also performed to the enthusiastic crowd.

Connie Dillard of Santa Rosa smiled widely as she watched her 10-year-old daughter, Grace Jaquias . Grace, who used to live in Hawaii, has been performing Polynesian dance since she was 2 and loves it.

“She wants to be half a doctor and half a dancer,” Dillard said as her daughter performed with the Taimalietane Polynesian Dancers. “She’s just following her dream.”

For most Chinese Americans, the 12 animals of the traditional Chinese zodiac calendar remain an important way of viewing the world and the personalities of those born during a particular year, Wang said. Babies born in the Year of the Ram are considered strong willed and independent, he said. Because of differing translations, the year is sometimes referred to as the Year of the Goat or Year of the Sheep.

“There is some pressure to have (another child) in the Year of the Ram, but we’ll see what happens,” Wang said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.