The Spring Festival vibes have increased to a peak in the Chinatown in Los Angeles as celebrations including grand parade were held there, offering visitors a rich cultural experience and an opportunity to engage in exchanges between China and the United States.
The Spring Festival has always been an occasion for family reunion and for special celebrations, and is considered one of the most important festivals of the year for the Asian-American community in the United States.
The 2025 Spring Festival falls on Wednesday with special events being scheduled in Chinatowns in large cities like Los Angeles from late January all the way into the middle of February.
The events in Los Angeles Chinatown featured captivating parade and rounds of dances, and the tourists could have the opportunity to write their best wishes for the Year of the Snake on small wooden plaques, a tradition believed to bring good luck in the new year.
Celebrations like these provide opportunities for Americans and for foreign visitors to get acquainted with Chinese traditions and customs.
"We had a lovely meal at Yang Chao's restaurant. And there's all kinds of pictures of celebrities that are frequent there as well, and the prices are very good. Yeah, it's a new experience," said Joanne, a visitor.
"It's a beautiful culture. From my heart, I admire the Chinese culture. And here we saw the Bruce Lee statue, that taught us about the martial arts and what a great discipline that is. We also visited several stores. There are beautiful clothes and something really useful," said Carolina, another visitor.
Across the United States, festive occasions held to celebrate Spring Festival serve as valuable opportunities to foster meaningful people-to-people connections between China and the U.S., underscoring the significance of cultural exchange between the two countries.
Los Angeles Chinatown holds celebrations to welcome Spring Festival
With dramyin lute and cymbals in hand and dressed in colorful traditional costume, 17-year-old Tenzin Norbu is among the proud youngsters in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region who have been helping preserve the centuries-old Tibetan opera, a multifaceted representative of Tibetan art and cultural heritage. Considered a living fossil of Tibetan culture, Tibetan opera is a comprehensive art combining folk songs, dance, storytelling, chant, acrobatics and religious performance. It was included on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
Tenzin grew up listening to Tibetan opera along with his grandmother. The beat of the drum marked the rhythm of his childhood and quietly planted the seed of a dream.
The teenager leads a youth Tibetan opera troupe and guides his peers onto the very stage they once only dreamed of. He named it "Phudor Youth Tibetan Opera Troupe", because "Phudor" means "dream" in the Tibetan language.
"There are about 24 members in the troupe," said the teenager.
Tenzin once received a very special invitation to perform Tibetan opera for the opening ceremony of an art festival in Lhasa.
Although both their parents and teachers felt it's important for the children to be exposed to traditional culture from a young age, they didn't want it to affect their schoolwork.
The performance they were getting ready for was the first Sweet Tea House Art Festival, the troupe's very first public appearance. It's a rare opportunity for the children -- one too precious for them to pass up. But with their parents growing anxious about preparation for the performance eating into valuable study time, the children opted to rehearse in secret at weekends. Tenzin's family runs a tailor's shop. His father, who is hearing- and speech-impaired, is a superb tailor, while his mother helps him out by dealing with customers. Tenzin enjoyed Tibetan opera with his grandmother during childhood and later learned more about it from his uncle.
"Whenever I'm not feeling good, I'll take out the dramyin lute and the cymbals. When I hear the drumbeat, I get a feeling of elation that's simply indescribable," he said.
When Tenzin finally stepped onto the stage at the festival, he noticed that his parents were not in the audience. "My parents didn't have time to come to see my performance. But they always support me. They work hard every day, also for my sake. So, I'm happy whether they were here or not as long as I can keep performing Tibetan opera," said the youngster, believing that his passion for Tibetan opera will last a lifetime.
Childhood dream takes local boy onto Tibetan opera stage
