New Year's Flockin' Eve

by Helen i-lin Hwang

Lunar New Year falls on Feb. 1, ushering in the Year of the Yáng, or Sheep. People born under this Chinese astrological sign are said to be charming, elegant and witty, but they can also be pessimistic and puzzled by the meaning of life. No matter what your animal sign is, there are a few superstitions people adhere to in time for Chinese New Year: Clean your home (to get rid of yesteryear's bad luck), wear a new outfit (to spruce up) and don't, under any circumstances, use a pair of scissors (or else your good fortune will get snipped away).

The annual New Year's Eve celebration will take place around midnight on the evening of Jan. 31 with the traditional blast of firecrackers and performance of the lion dance. You'll get another chance to see the lion dance in Chinatown on Feb. 2 and 9. The Philadelphia Chinese Opera Society will perform traditional Beijing opera songs at the Kimmel Center at noon Saturday (pictured). Also that day, at the Independence Seaport Museum, visitors can don dragon heads and dance themselves. There will also be the chance to make Chinese bead bracelets or watch a Chinese calligrapher. At 1 p.m., there will be a Chinese music concert and dance performance.

During February weekends, Mum Puppettheatre is presenting Hua Hua Zhang's East Meets West, a series of vignettes about a Chinese woman acclimating to America. Zhang combines Chinese and Western techniques using string, rod and hand puppets to create a unique performance style.

Many of the Chinatown restaurants will have special banquet menus for the occasion. Later on this month, Angela Chang, author of The Intriguing World of Chinese Home Cooking, will give Chinese cooking lessons at the Independence Branch of the Free Library. Philadelphia restaurant chef-owners Joseph Poon and Susanna Foo will team up to create a special dinner at The Restaurant School on Feb. 19, followed by entertainment from the Philadelphia Suns Lion Dancers and cultural talks by the chefs. Unlike the western New Year, the Lunar New Year celebration goes on for weeks, and in Philly, you'll find no exception to the tradition.

Chinatown Lion Dances by Cheung’s Hung Gar Kung Fu Academy, Fri., Jan. 31, midnight; Feb. 2 and 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., various locations in Chinatown, free, 215-519-9221, www.phillychinatown.com. Chinese New Year Celebration, Sat., Feb. 1, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., free with museum admission of $8 ($5 for children ages 3-12), Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Blvd., 215-925-5439, www.phillyseaport.org. Philadelphia Chinese Opera Society, Sat., Feb. 1, noon, free, Commonwealth Plaza, Kimmel Center, 260 S. Broad St., 215-893-1999, www.kimmelcenter.org. East Meets West Puppet Show, runs Feb. 1-23, Saturdays and Sundays, noon and 2 p.m., $12, Mum Puppettheatre, 115 Arch St., 215-925-7686, www.mumpuppet.org. Cooking demonstration and book signing with Angela Chang, Sat., Feb. 15, 2 p.m., free, Independence Branch of the Free Library, 18 S. Seventh St., 215-685-1633. Dinner by Joseph Poon and Susanna Foo followed by chef talks and entertainment, Wed., Feb. 19, 6:30 p.m., $45 per person (plus tax and gratuity), The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, 4207 Walnut St., 215-222-4200, www.therestaurantschool.com/commun_calendar.asp.