Bates students and Lewiston residents braved the cold to witness celebratory fireworks.
LEWISTON – At the first boom of the fireworks over Bates College’s Lake Andrews, the crowd in the Olin Arts Center lobby rushed the exits to get outside to the balcony.
For ten minutes, the crowd of about 50 Bates students and Lewiston locals craned their necks to watch the display, oohing and ahhing.
As soon as it ended, the crowd rushed the doors again – this time to go back inside, escape the one degree weather and warm up in the center’s lobby with chai and cookies.
That’s how Bates students kicked off the Year of the Monkey and celebrated the Lunar New Year.
Sponsored by Sangai Asia, the Bates Asian student society, this is the third year Bates students have celebrated Chinese New Year with food and fireworks.
“It’s traditional – not Chinese traditional. Bates traditional,” said sophomore Vanni Thach.
Sangai President Minh Le said the event was close to a traditional celebration. The group sponsored a Chinese dinner before the fireworks and offered complementary hot chocolate, chai and cookies to help keep spectators warm.
“Actually, the new year is a big family time,” Le said. “They eat, they party and play mah jong.”
Le said Vietnam used to celebrate the new year with a month of no work.
“Now it’s down to the first three days, nobody works, I think,” he said. “It’s a good time, a time for a fresh start.”
Each year in the Chinese calendar is marked by one of 12 animals. This month ushers out the year of the goat and introduces the year of monkey – a good sign, according to Senior Kevin Yang.
“It means more celebrations, a happier time,” Yang said. “It means new opportunities, a new phase of good luck.”
Aside from a few startled car alarms, the display created few disturbances at the college and in the surrounding neighborhood. Lewiston Police Lieutenant Mike McGonagle said only two people called police wondering what was going on.
That was a big improvement over last year, when the celebration startled neighbors.
“They did a much better job this year, putting out a flier telling everyone in the surrounding neighborhood what was happening,” he said.
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