Lunar New Year may have been yesterday, but celebrations ringing in the Year of the Dog are just getting started around the Bay Area.
This weekend, the San Jose Tet Festival at the Eastridge Mall celebrates the Vietnamese New Year.
"The Tet festival is the most significant holiday in our culture," said event organizer Tony Saemai. "It’s the equivalent of Christmas in America, in the sense that it’s time for family friends and loved ones."
The event is family-oriented and includes food, carnival rides and performances. A major attraction is the lion dance, which involves multiple performers coordinating in one costume. Red envelopes with cash are typically given out to children as a sign of good luck.
"We don’t celebrate the American new year like we do the Vietnamese new year," said Linda Tran, who came from Hayward with her two sons. "That’s with friends, this is more for family and friends."
Because of the President's Day holiday on Monday, organizers say they expect between 30,000 and 50,000 visitors this weekend.
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