Our Year of the Rat Celebration!

Jan 30, 20203 min read

Updated: Jan 30, 2020

“Gong Hey Fat Choy!” “Wishing you a prosperous New Year!”

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of The Rat!

Happy Chinese New Year 2020 from our Sadana Center Family!

Last night was our Annual Potluck Chinese New Year 2020 celebration with our Sadana Center students, friends and family.

After you read our blog click here to see the full gallery, over 100 pictures.

We hang red paper lanterns, decorated walls with fan lanterns, placed red paper strips around the doors...

We decorated the altar with flower, plates full of tangerines (symbolizing great happiness) and at 6:00 pm we opened the door of our kwoon to begin with the celebration.

Everybody brought a dish to share and we filled 3 tables with delicious food!

Food plays an important role during the Spring Festival. Dumplings, spring rolls, oranges, dried fruit and sweets are considered a good-luck food during the New-Year festivities.

Good fortune, wealth, and happiness are the three words that best describe what Chinese New Year is all about, and Shifu Orlando opened the ceremony explaining why Sadana Center celebrate the Chinese New Year.

He said: "This is the moment to show respect to our Master ancestors, honor our Tree Family, parents, and mentors.

Part of Sadana Center tradition during our Chinese New Year celebration is to have an altar where Shifu offers incense to Kwan Kung the goodness of the war and justice. He is also the protector of the Chinese Martial Arts Kwoons, and San Joy Lao one of the eight Immortal Taoist. Some of his powers are: Health, prevent evil sickness & wisdom.

Shifu performed an ancient ritual burning 3 incenses.

Three is a magic number that represents heaven, earth and humanity. It also represents the spirit of those that are not with us anymore (past), those that are part of our Sadana family (present), and the people that will become the future members of our center.

A very special moment was when Shifu introduced his special guest, his mom, Aida Schiaffino.

Since Shifu was a student at the Tian Tan Temple in Peru under his mentor Grand Master Tsa, his mother always supported her son's journey by attending each celebration.

Our guest of honor played 12 times the Gong, that announced the Chinese New Year!

And we all wished each other good luck, happiness and abundance!

According to the Chinese calendar, 2020 marks the year of the rat. They use an animal zodiac with a 12-year cycle.

During our celebration we mentioned the Sadana Center students that born in the Year of the Rat: Jan Sebald, Thomas Koven, and Frank Rivera. Also our little Dragon Salvatore and his friend Monica born in 2008.

Their zodiac says that people born during the year of the rat are liked by all because they are positive, cheerful and kind. On the downside, they’re stubborn, big spenders, and not always great communicators.

Also Shifu Orlando recognized the Sadana Center students Phoenix and Dragon 2020.

This year the awards went to: Deborah Rosen, Phoenix 2020, and Darlene Conant, Dragon 2020. Congratulations!

The night was very special during the Secret Friend Gift Exchange. The students showed a lot of appreciation, support and love for each other saying and reading emotional notes to their secret friends.

The fortune sticks was a new activity this year. Three of our guests won the emblematic symbol of the Year of the Rat! Congratulations!

The "My One Word New Year's Resolution" was a hit! The challenge was simple: lose the long list of changes you want to make this year and instead pick ONE WORD.