Chinese New Year in Brooklyn, New York 2008: Year of the Rat

Brooklyn, NY will be buzzing with lots of excitement for the Chinese New Year in 2008. Celebrate the dawning of the Year of the Rat with these cultural activities.

The Year of the Rat symbolizes the beginning of a new cycle in the Chinese Zodiac. In the legend of the twelve animals of the zodiac were racing across a river when the rat, riding on the back of the ox, jumped off to be the first one across. This cycle is being celebrated in a new way with ties to Brooklyn, as resident illustrator Kam Mak is collaborating on new stamp designs for each year of the zodiac. To find out more, read the article, "Chinese Lantern Heralds Year of the Rat" by David A. Kent, detailing the stamp at http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-stamps0108.artjan08,0,6949439.story.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden at 1000 Washington Avenue is holding its Lunar New Year Celebration and Flower Market on Sunday, February 3, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Purchase fragrant, traditional flowers to welcome in the New Year and bring prosperity at the Flower Market. Take an English-language tour of the BBG's collection of Asian plants from either 11:00 a.m. - noon, noon - 1:00 p.m. or 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. The Mandarin Chinese version will occur from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Enjoy lots of music and dancing. The Red Silk Dancers will perform from noon to 1:00 p.m. The Korean Traditional Music and Dance Institute of New York goes on from 1:30 - 2:15 p.m. Listen to the famed Qi Shu Fang Peking Opera from 3:00 - 3:50 p.m.

Visit the exhibit, "A Rural Life: Celebrating Chinese Women's Peasant Art", which was previously shown in Beijing. Other art activities include "The Art of Chinese Brush Painting" class from 2:30 - 3:15 p.m. and from 3:30 - 4:15 p.m.

David Taylor, who authored the book Ginseng, the Divine Root about the history and significance of ginseng in Chinese culture, will be giving a slideshow from 1:30 - 2:15 p.m., followed by a book signing from 2:30 - 3:00 p.m.