Orange County celebrates the Year of the Ox with Pacific Symphony
In collaboration with the South Coast Cultural Center/Irvine Chinese School, Pacific Symphony hosted the Virtual 2021 Lantern Festival on February 27th—the first of its kind!
Due to our inability to celebrate together at our annual in-person festival, community performers and art appreciators gathered remotely to celebrate the Lantern Festival and the Year of the Ox.
A celebration that occurs on the first full moon night of the Lunar New Year, friends and families come together to ignite red lanterns and carry them into the night sky—a symbol of good fortune, family reunion, and the revitalized self.
"When we light up a lantern, we brighten up our future with hope," said Yulan Chung, Executive Director of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association and Irvine Chinese School Principal. "It's an important day for many of us to celebrate and recognize the value of family and friendship."
Our virtual festival reflected these traditional values through a breathtaking collection of music and dance performances from artists around the world. These artists—who typically perform at our in-person festival—made special performance videos to share with our audience through the live stream.
Lucas Wang, a student at Irvine Chinese School, told the story of the Lantern Festival and taught us the historical significance of the celebration. He explained that in China's ancient Han dynasty, royal officials believed that hanging red lanterns would distract the "god of fire" and prevent a disaster from striking. Lucas also led our audience through a quick lesson on cooking tangyuan (rice balls)—the signature dish of the Lantern Festival!
The morning began with the "dragon dance"—a Lantern Festival tradition in which members of the Irvine Chinese Dragon Dance Team glide a magnificent dragon figure across the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. A symbol of China's culture, the dragon demonstrates auspicious values of power, dignity, and fortune through its unique movement.
Our wonderful community partners brought true cultural essence to the event, allowing viewers to explore artistic Lantern Festival staples, such as paper-lantern crafting, riddle-solving, and calligraphy!
"Different calligraphy forms bring joy to our lives," said Jennifer Su and Carol Chiang, who led a demonstration of the decorative writing art. "Writing the Spring Couplets in calligraphy celebrates a new year coming and expresses our blessings for a better life."
Pacific Symphony and South Coast Chinese Cultural Center staff also engaged with viewers through the chat, providing background information and fun facts about each activity and performance.
Chinese illustrator and visual design artist SiWei Liu led a session of lantern-crafting and encouraged viewers to hang their paper lanterns in their homes to carry on the tradition.
From Orange County to Ireland and Taiwan, viewers around the world expressed their responses to the morning's festivities:
"What wonderful music! The whole family enjoys it," Leo from Taiwan expressed in the chat.
"I have always wanted to learn how to make these beautiful red lanterns!" said audience member Suzanna C.
"I am so very appreciative of this program!" said viewer Jaden C. "You have taken me away from the negative to the positive! Thank you so much."
Pacific Symphony introduced the musical portion of the festival with a lively rendition of Dvorák's Carnival Overture, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, and a performance of Camille Saint-Seans' Danse Macranbe from musicians of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra — both of which represent new beginnings.
South Coast Chinese Orchestra—the only full Chinese orchestra in Orange County—then performed several traditional pieces and contemporary works that blended musical influence from Western and Eastern cultures.
"I know that no one can see me; however, I'm giving all the musicians a standing ovation!" viewer Janet H. expressed in response to the festival's musical segment.
Our event culminated with a presentation of different groups from both Southern California and Taiwan. Under the artistic vision of Sam Sun, this intersection of choral song, dance, and wind ensemble performances delivered a common theme of "hope and blessing."
While we hope to reunite in person for next year's Lantern Festival, our spectacular group of performers, artists, and audience members alike continued to reflect the authentic spirit of this beloved event. Because of these remarkable efforts, our celebration endured, not only for our Southern California family but for an expanded global audience.
The Lantern Festival signifies a period of refreshment and growth for us all. As we push through these complex challenges, we must immerse ourselves in the values that bring us together.
We hope our virtual celebration inspired positivity and brought a sense of livelihood into the New Year.
Happy Year of the Ox!
You can view the full replay of the Virtual 2021 Lantern Festival through April 27, 2021 at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z30-DMY00vw&feature=emb_title