Port Arthur business hosting Lunar New Year celebration

Published 12:40 am Wednesday, January 18, 2023

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Saigon Market in Port Arthur will once again be the backdrop for a Lunar New Year celebration.

The celebration features colorful lion dancers and fireworks.

Trang Do with Saigon Market, 1020 9th Ave., said the New Year event starts at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Saigon Market will host a Lunar New Year celebration at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. (Mary Meaux/The News)

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Local businesswoman Phuong Tat stopped by the store to talk about the upcoming festivities. She noted the lucky money envelopes, colorful flowers, cookies and pastries that are associated with the holiday that can be bought at the store.

Most of the celebratory items were in the colors red and yellow.

Tat said the lion dancers and fireworks celebration is done every year at the store.

Jan. 22 marks the Lunar New Year or Tet.

Tat said Lunar Year Celebration in the Vietnamese culture is similar to that of Christmas in America in that families gather together.

For the Vietnamese celebration, 2023 is the Year of the Cat, while in other Asian cultures it is considered the Year of the Rabbit.

The lion dancers perform to a drum beat as firecrackers explode. Their job is to drive away bad luck.