As some 400 people ate the last bits of fish with sour cabbage sauce, family-style tofu and other Chinese dishes on their plates, a drumbeat filled the air at the Minuteman High School cafeteria Saturday, Feb. 10.
Accompanied by clashing cymbals, the drumbeats–heavy enough to resonate in one’s chest–continued as several people held aloft a red Chinese dragon and snaked through the room. In the back of the cafeteria, a cluster of girls in pink tutus stood on a staircase, while martial artists in black satin pants and black t-shirts stood just to the side of the performance area—all waiting for their turn to perform. The Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL)’s bi-annual Chinese New Year Celebration was in full swing, ringing in the year of the dog and kicking off CAAL’s 35th anniversary. [Read full report]