Today marks the Chinese New Year. Along with China, a number of Asian countries celebrate the beginning of February as the Lunar New Year. The Chinese New Year is also widely celebrated in Thailand.
This past Saturday, my mother in law was driving down Elmwood Avenue when she noticed that a troupe of costumed characters and drummers had assembled outside of Saigon Café. The lead character was the lively Lion Dancer, who jumped and bobbed about before consuming a head of lettuce which was left out on the sidewalk (a symbol of good luck).
It’s so much fun to see these types of celebrations hosted by ethnic restaurants. It gives people a window into the world of the various cultures that are found in and around Buffalo. The Lion Dance was certainly an unexpected surprise to come across, and ended up being a great marketing tool as well, because we both said that we wanted to go back and try their food, since we hadn’t eaten there in a while.
2019 is The Year of the Pig – The Pig is the twelfth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. In the continuous sexagenary cycle of sixty years, every twelfth year corresponds to hai, 亥; this re-recurring twelfth year is commonly called the Year of the Pig. – Wikipedia
Saigon Café | 520 Elmwood Avenue | Buffalo, New York 14222 | (716) 883-1252