'Dawn of New Asia' theme for Lunar New Year's bash
More than 1,000 members of Chicago's Asian American community gathered Saturday for the 25th annual Lunar New Year celebration, thought to be the largest of its kind in the Midwest.
The bash took place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, and drew a mix of elected officials and candidates, as well as representatives from the Bangladeshi, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Thai, and Vietnamese communities.
Fittingly, event planners organized the gala around the theme, "Dawn of New Asia."
"It's a feeling of empowerment," says Rajinder Singh Mago of West suburban Wayne, co-founder of the Punjabi Cultural Society of Chicago, based in Palatine. "When all of the Asian community joins together, it's a real feeling of unity."
Members of the Pakastani American Community, based in Chicago, hosted the event, with Chicago attorney Pamela Leeming, with the Cook County state's attorney office, serving as chairman.
More than 50 candidates arrived for the open microphone and political forum, which began at the start of the evening, signaling the group's draw as a valuable political constituency.
After dinner, a mix of cultural entertainment filled the stage with colorful costumes, dances and music.
Among them were students from the University of Illinois at Chicago, who performed the Punjabi Bhangra, an Indian folk dance, as well as others who performed Pakastani dances, Korean dances and Loyola University students who performed traditional dances from the Philippines.
The groups also used the occasion to present some of their major awards. Among them was Palatine High School senior, Harleen Kaur Saini of Palatine, who was one of nine teens selected by the different communities, and presented with the "Youth Who Excels" awards.
Saini works with children at the Punjabi Cultural Center in Palatine, teaching them traditional folk dances and helping to preserve the heritage from the Punjab region of Northern India.
"The event is all about becoming part of the political process," Mago adds, "and sharing our culture with the mainstream American community.