Happy Chinese New Year, The Year of the Ox
Jacksonville’s Chinese New Year celebration is a treasured annual festival celebrating the contributions of the Chinese in Southern Oregon’s development. The day-long event is coordinated by the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association (SOCCA).
SOCCA was formed as a non-profit, volunteer organization to develop and implement this wonderful event. This year’s celebration is on Saturday, February 13, 2021 (9am-3pm).
The day offers a wide variety of activities and events to explore different aspects of the ancient Chinese culture along with programs that show how the Chinese played an important role in Oregon’s early history.
This year’s parade has been canceled due to COVID-19 mandates, but there will be a full line-up of events for you to view virtually.
SOCCA will launch all of its celebratory events virtually from their website at www.socca.us.
This year’s celebration is extra special as it is the year of the Metal-Ox, synonymously known as the “golden Ox”.
The ox is noted for its steady, calm and hard-working demeanor and in the Chinese Zodiac the “golden Ox” portends a year of peace, prosperity and success. So says a traditional greeting, “it’s a new year, with new hope!” The Year of the Ox will be a year that brings new opportunities, success in business, and for families to affirm new relationships.
Former mayor of Jacksonville and current City Council member Jim Lewis and his wife Gayle will kick of the virtual celebration as the Grand Marshals. Four live programs, presented one time on this day only, will follow. They include two presentations by San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum; Everyday Life Stories of Early Chinese Oregonians presented by Southern Oregon University’s Laboratory of Anthropology; and an interactive family entertainment performed by award winning magician and balloon twister Perry Yan. These programs will require pre-registration online and attendance will remain available until enrollment is full.
About a dozen “instant access” (no registration necessary) programs, including a cooking demonstration, children’s puppet show, the healing arts of Tai Chi and Qi Gong, local gold-mining history etc., can be accessed on demand throughout the day and thereafter.
Thanks to the generous support from our sponsors, all programs are free. Please visit our website for sponsor listing, program details, and to pre-register for the live presentations.