Camille Rafferty, of Scotts Valley, watches the dancing dragons with her daughter Ocean Rafferty, 4, at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
For over 30 years, the Tet Festival in San Jose has been led by the elders within the Vietnamese American community.
This year marked a shift as the leadership baton was passed to the youth in San Jose. They undertook the responsibility to produce a festival that bridges communities across generations and did so by including curated local food vendors, live entertainment, dance performances and games.
Hosted by Vietnamese American Roundtable, NorCal UVSA and The Viet Museum, the festival promised a distinctive experience, inviting attendees to celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year and embrace the profound symbolism of the Year of the Dragon. This auspicious year added a layer of significance, symbolizing talent, strength, nobleness, luck and success.
The festival ran through Sunday, Feb. 4, with free admission to all.
Visitors react to a Lion Dance at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez holds a baby during the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Dancing dragons entertain a crowd at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Signs on display at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Goods for sale at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) People move a child out of the way of a dancing dragon at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) A dragon on sale at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Members of the United Vietnamese Student Association of California and the Vietnamese American Roundtable participate in an ancestral veneration ceremony during the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Visitors watch a Lion Dance at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Santa Clara County supervisor Cindy Chavez, center left, stands next to Loc Vu, Director of the Viet Museum in San Jose, who holds a County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors Commendation award for the Immigration Resettlement Cultural Center (IRCC)/ Viet Museum during the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Dancing dragons entertain a crowd at the Lunar New Year Festival at History Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group) Originally published at Shae Hammond
