While some students spent the day off for Lunar New Year lounging at home, others decided to take part in the festivities.

More than 200 patrons, including students, parents, and others, attended the county's Lunar New Year Celebration at Glenwood Community Center in Cooksville on Jan. 26.

"It was great to do something together and learn something at the same time," said Christine Lewis, a parent who brought her son to the event.

She watched as he assembled a red paper envelope, by coloring and cutting out a printout with a Chinese character on it. Traditionally on the holiday, Chinese parents give money to their children in red envelopes. Lewis' son was provided with plastic gold coins to place in his. In the craft room, kids and parents could choose from various stations. They put together dragon masks, made by cutting out printed dragon faces, coloring them with markers and gluing them onto paper plates; made Origami; created their own felt fortune cookies and placed pre-made fortunes inside; and made foam Year of the Ox photo magnets.

The hands-on activities began after the live performances ended. In the gymnasium, the Washington Chu Shan Chinese Opera performed two fantastical scenes, the US Tae Kwon Do Karate School gave a martial arts demonstration and pre-K and elementary students from Baltimore International Academy performed traditional dances.

Chinese Language School of Columbia gave Taiwanese tribal dance, Chinese yo-yo and Chinese zither performances. The zither is a rectangular stringed instrument played while it's laying flat. The event also included Korean fan, sword and drum dancers; and a Dragon Dance and Falun Gong demonstration by the Falun Dafa Association. Nine men swerved around the gymnasium in unison while underneath a 40-foot-long golden silk "dragon." Falun Gong is a spiritual and physical set of exercises similar to Tai Chi.

"It was lively and interesting, and the music was good," said parent Jane Onslow.

The Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks-sponsored celebration also offered patrons, whose tickets ranged from $5 to $10 per person, face-painting, kite-making, and Chinese calligraphy stations; and a buffet lunch. The menu consisted of egg rolls, fried rice, lo mein, General Tso's chicken, pork and broccoli and fortune cookies.

"It's entertainment and education. It's edutainment," said event coordinator Karen Bradley.

Onslow agreed and was glad her children didn't spend the free day just hanging around the house.

"It's good to expose the kids to different cultures," she said. "And it's better than just sitting and watching TV."

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