Children's Museum, Nevada State Museum celebrate Chinese New Year in Carson City
The Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada and the Nevada State Museum joined forces Saturday to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rat with the annual parade down Carson Street.
Children first gathered at the Nevada State Museum for crafts and cultural activities before joining the procession led by three lions down Carson Street, taking time to weave the parade through several businesses on the way.
This is a part of the Chinese New Year, said Mina Stafford of the Nevada State Museum, which offers prosperity and blessings to the businesses.
This is an important holiday for Carson City, and Nevada as a whole, to celebrate, since Nevada has had large Chinese communities even before statehood.
“In the founding of Nevada there were large Chinese communities, especially in Carson City,” said Stafford. “We have objects in the museum from all over Nevada and the chinatowns that existed across the state. There is strong Chinese culture in Nevada’s history.”
It’s important to celebrate all cultures, said Stafford, especially as Nevada grows and the world becomes more globally-centered.
At the end of the parade, children gathered at the Children’s Museum for more crafts, fun, and even more cultural activities.