Celebrations in Reno and Carson City ring in the Chinese New Year with lion dancers, an exhibition of cultural artifacts, performances, martial arts demonstrations, and, of course, mountains of Chinese cuisine.
The Nevada State Museum, Carson City and the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada will host a free Chinese New Year Celebration starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5. Festivities begin in the park in front of the Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson St., with crafts and traditional Chinese dances. Everyone is invited to then follow the lion dancers as they parade down Carson Street to the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada. There, the celebration continues with activities and events in the afternoon.
Chinese New Year is the most important and the longest celebration on the Chinese calendar. People from China have lived in the Silver State (which was dubbed “Silver Mountain” by the immigrants) as early as 1851 when Nevada was part of Utah Territory. In 1860, the Dayton area was marked on maps as “Chinatown.” Carson City and many other Nevada communities also had a Chinese neighborhoods.
The lion dancers
The Nevada State Museum holds extensive collections from several Chinese settlements throughout the state. The museum will highlight a few of these objects during the Feb. 5 program. Members of the Carson Valley Chinese Culture Group are scheduled to perform and join the parade down Carson Street.
“We look forward to offering this event every year,” said Myron Freedman, administrator of the Nevada Division of Museums and History. “This program brings life to Chinese cultural objects displayed in our exhibits. Imagine a Chinese New Year parade marching through our scale model of 19th century Winnemucca’s Chinatown in our History Gallery.”
According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the New Year begins Feb. 1 and marks the transition from the Year of the Ox to the Year of the Tiger. While the Year of the Rat (2020) was about survival, and the Year of the Ox (2021) was about anchoring ourselves in a new reality, the Year of the Tiger will be about making big changes, taking risks and being open to adventure, according to Chinese tradition.
COVID-19 protocols are observed at the museum and face coverings must be worn inside the museums. Regular museum admission is $10 adults and free for members and children ages 17 and younger. The museum program also will be streamed live on the museum’s Facebook page. The events are funded in part by a grant from the Nevada Humanities Committee and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Celebration at Grand Sierra
The Grand Sierra Resort will mark The Year of the Tiger with lion dances, kung fu demonstrations and dining specials at The Grand Buffet and RIM Asian Bistro Feb. 4-5
The buffet will feature traditional Chinese specialties in the Grand Buffet and RIM Asian Bistro. The casino floor will host traditional lion dances and martial arts demonstrations in front of LEX Nightclub on Friday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The Grand Buffet will offer a special menu featuring dishes including whole roasted pig, Peking duck, stir-fried clams in black bean sauce, long life noodles, Shanghai shrimp stir-fry, Mandarin orange beef, shrimp cakes and malas fried peanuts. Also available will be the buffet’s carving station, Americana station, Asian wok station, pho soup station, taco bar, sushi station, salads and desserts. The special menu is available Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 for $49.99 per person; $23.99 for children ages five to 10.