Chinese New Year Festival in Metro Atlanta
Shaolin Institute, Atlanta’s premier Asian cultural arts center, will be ushering in the Chinese New Year, the “Year of the Snake”, with an Open House and community festival Saturday, February 9th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at it’s Atlanta campus. The Chinese New Year’s Festival, an ancient tradition which embraces and honors the importance and unity of family, is one of the most unique cultural events celebrated in the southeast United States, providing a fun and enriching experience for people of all ages.
January 14, 2013 — The Shaolin Institute Atlanta campus welcomes individuals and families from all neighborhoods surrounding metro Atlanta to join them in a fun, cultural celebration on the eve of the Chinese New Year, the “Year of the Snake”. The Festival will begin at 10:00 AM and last until 4:00 PM on Saturday, February 9th, 2013. Shaolin Institute of Atlanta is hosting the event at their Norcross campus, located at 4350 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross, GA 30071. The Festival caters to people of all ages with a host of activities for children and adults, including a performance of the internationally famous, visually captivating “Lion-Dragon Dance”. The famed Shaolin “Magnificent Five” mascots will be on hand to entertain children. There will be Asian food, music, arts and crafts, paintings, Kung Fu performances, and health and wellness education. Local businesses will be displaying their goods and services in booths set-up around the campus. Businesses wishing to be a part of this important, popular cultural event, please call the Institute 770-286-9808 for information. All activities are FREE to the public.
Two other Shaolin Institute campuses will host Chinese New Year’s celebrations in their respective cities. The Mobile campus will host a celebration the same day, February 9th, while the New Orleans campus will host their celebration the following Saturday, February 16th.
On the Western calendar, the start of Chinese New Year this year falls on Sunday, February 10, 2013, which marks the first day of the “Year of the Snake”. The Chinese New Year’s tradition dates back to 2600 BC when the Emperor Huang Ti of China introduced the first cycle of the Chinese Zodiac calendar. In modern China, celebration of the Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. It signals to farmers that they must begin preparation for the sowing of their fields fifteen days after their New Year’s festivities.
People born in the Year of the Snake tend to be self-reliant, detail oriented, and self-disciplined. They seldom ask others for advice, and many people mistake them as being cold and calculating, but that is not the case. Snakes are complex individuals whose quiet nature makes them cautious. Snakes have excellent communications skills, but they are creatures of few
words. This “thoughtful, quiet action” is precisely what Shaolin Institute teaches and promotes in its students.
Grand Master Shi DeRu (aka: Master Shawn Liu) is a 31st generation descendent of the spiritual Chan leader (Shaolin Temple Abbott), Great Grand Master Shi Suxi. Master DeRu came to the U.S. in 1989 as the torch bearer of Shaolin cultural education and martial arts. He has devoted his life to preserving the ancient Shaolin culture and educating people in the U.S. about the unique benefits the Shaolin way of life offers. As part of the US – China Multicultural and Multiracial Education Exchange program he has personally conducted health and wellness seminars, delivered public safety presentations, and taught classes to students at the request of several prestigious schools and Universities, including; University of Georgia-Athens, Kennesaw State, Tulane University, North view High School World Language Academy, Level Creek Elementary School, Jeremiah Denton Middle School, Math and Science School of Mobile, Country Day School of Creative Arts in New Orleans, Xavier University, Chinese Northeast Association, Zhejiang Hometown Association, and numerous others.
Master DeRu’s cultural ambassadors and students of Shaolin Institute have presented their world renowned “Shaolin Legacy Show” to over a million people in audiences across the country. This visually stunning, superbly choreographed show highlights the ancient Chinese Shaolin arts and philosophy of living with various themes, such as the Shaolin Disciples’ Spiritual Journey or Journey to the East.
In addition, the Shaolin Institute has been invited to and performed shows and demonstrations for hundreds of public and private organizations, conferences, festivals and events such as: Jefferson Parish Sheriff Office of Community Events, Mobile Police Department’s “America’s Night Out Against Crime”, U.S. Homeland Security Asian Pacific Cultural Events, General Electric Asian Pacific events, Coca Cola Headquarters Asian Pacific events, COSCO National Conference, Suwanee & the Duluth Fall Festivals, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festivals, Atlanta Hawks Opening Game, the New Orleans Asian Heritage Festivals, Education Funding Company International Summits in both Washington, D.C. and Nashville, Tennessee, the Mobile International Festival, Gulf Coast State Fair, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard events along the Gulf Coast states, the Arnold Classic, the International Chinese Martial Arts Championship World Wide Circuit in Florida and TX, and LEGENDS of Kung Fu & Taiji Legacy World Martial Arts Championship and Cultural Festival in the Texas cities of Dallas and Houston.
Master DeRu invites the metro Atlanta area to come be a part of this unique cultural experience and usher in the “Year of the Snake” as we celebrate the Chinese New Year at Shaolin Institute. It promises to be a spectacular day of fun, learning, food tasting, cultural arts, crafts, and unique performances.
