Lunar New Year & Mid-Autumn Festivals

On the evening of September 16, 2024, the Chinese American Golden Age Association (CAGAA) hosted a heartwarming Mid-Autumn evening gala at Golden Age Village in Monterey Park, bringing senior residents a joyful time of moon viewing, mooncake tasting, and live performances. The warm community atmosphere bound every resident closely together in a shared celebration of the festival.

In her remarks, CAGAA President Iris Chi said she was honored to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with everyone, and expressed deep gratitude to the guests for their long-standing support, which inspires Golden Age Village to keep moving forward. She also gave special thanks to the performers, volunteers, and staff, whose hard work filled the evening with energy.

Congresswoman Judy Chu praised Golden Age Village for its service to low-income Chinese American seniors over the past 40-plus years, calling it a model in the community. Its rich and varied programming includes not only regular traditional festival celebrations, but also educational courses, computer skills training, daily activities such as Tai Chi, monthly birthday parties, and trips twice a year, greatly enriching the lives of the seniors.

Board member Tim Li shared that the average age of Golden Age Village residents is 83, the oldest among senior apartments in the surrounding area. He also noted that the average wait for admission is 10 years, and appealed for support from all sides, hoping to add more rooms in the future so that more seniors may be cared for and have a place to rely on in their later years.

Monterey Park Vice Mayor Vinh T. Ngo recalled witnessing the construction of Golden Age Village with his own eyes as a child, and noted that in his grandparents' time the average wait for admission was about 15 years — a testament to Golden Age Village's success and long-term impact on the community. Attorney David Liu, a candidate for California's 49th State Assembly District, visited Golden Age Village for the first time; marveling at its beautiful surroundings and convenient living, he joked that he would be sure to apply for residency as soon as possible.

At the gala, performances including dance, a pipa solo, and Tai Chi sword won round after round of applause, and the room overflowed with laughter and a love of life. The residents not only lit up the night with their performances, but also kept one another company at this special moment, sharing the joy of reunion.

The Lantern Dance and the Passing Down of Spring Festival Customs

CAGAA's 2024 Lunar New Year Celebration featured an exciting variety of traditional Chinese performances, one of the most eye-catching ones being the Lantern Dance presented by the Golden Age Dance Group. The group is made up of female seniors living in the Golden Age Village (GAV) who have been performing for more than a decade. Initially, the dancers’ goal was to enrich their lives and to maintain a healthy lifestyle through dance. However, with the expansion of the dance group and the increase of its members, their approach to activities became more professional and earnest, with the focus on pursuing a higher level of artistic and aesthetic achievement. For the special day of the Lunar New Year, the seniors carefully selected music, consulted professional instructors, and prepared for this three-minute performance on stage with great dedication. On stage, the seniors held lanterns with warm smiles, conveying good wishes for a joyful reunion and a new year. Accompanied by characteristic Chinese folk music, the seniors, dressed in well-designed dance costumes and delicate headdresses, demonstrated their energetic moves as they changed formations, showing their grace and happiness to the audience below. The red lanterns highlighted their rosy cheeks, while their silver hair and traces of age failed to stop their vitality and brightness. The jubilation and delight of the festival flowed in the music, and the energy and spirit of the seniors shone in the dance moves. What is also worth emphasizing is that due to limited funds, each member volunteered to take on multiple roles, handcrafting props and costumes as well as meticulously researching stage styles and make-up. Their hard work and efforts not only added color to their retirement life but also highlighted GAV's community spirit and dedication.

The performance of the lantern dance not only brings audio-visual pleasure and enjoyment to the audience but also has the important significance of inheriting the tradition. In addition to transmitting knowledge, values, and beliefs, intergenerational inheritance involves the succession and flourishing of traditional Chinese culture, arts, and customs. Through the organization of festivals and cultural events, distinctive performances, costumes, and cuisines are experienced and shared within the overseas Chinese community, thus fostering a sense of common tradition and identity among the generations. CAGAA's Lunar New Year celebrations are dedicated to contributing to this important process of cultural inheritance. Whether it is the beautiful and melodious performance of traditional musical instruments (including the Guzheng and Hulusi) by Mr. Zuyao Liu, the spectacular Peking Opera performance (Mu Guiying Takes Command) by the US Youth Peking Opera Art Troupe, or the lively lion dance performance by the Shaolin Martial Arts Academy, they all focused on demonstrating the profundity and longevity of the Chinese cultural traditions, as well as the vibrancy and richness of the cultural life of the overseas Chinese people. Additionally, diversity and community inclusion are also important themes of the Lunar New Year Celebration. Performers and viewers of all races, ages, and professional backgrounds came together on such a special day to celebrate Chinese culture with great appreciation and gratitude.

The 2024 Lunar New Year celebration organized by CAGAA provided both a stage for GAV seniors to express their vitality and for multi-talented overseas Chinese artists to share their cultural performances. By actively participating in these endeavors and utilizing the generous donations from people from all walks of life around the world, CAGAA and the GAV community contribute to the vibrant preservation and promotion of outstanding Chinese cultural heritage, creating a warm feeling of connection, strengthening emotional ties within the community, as well as building a strong sense of continuity across generations and geographic distances on a winter night in Los Angeles.