Despite treacherous road conditions on U.S. Highway 151, the Chinese Spring Festival in Velzy Commons drew a reasonable crowd.
The annual event, now in its seventh year, typically attracts 400 to 600 visitors each year, consisting of students and community members from the Tri-State Area.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Confucius Institute hosts the event every year. The Confucius Institute is the only one of its kind in Wisconsin. Mai Reeder, director of the UW-Platteville Confucius Institute, said the event is a fun way to introduce Chinese culture to the community. She said that while most people are familiar with European culture, they may not know as much about the culture of China.
“The event has fallen on Super Bowl Sunday most years, but this is the first time we’ve encountered a snow storm like this,” Reeder said.
“Normally the space is packed,” said Amy Pennekamp, event volunteer from the UW-Platteville Office of Continuing Education.
Nonetheless there were many who braved the storm to enjoy snacks and colorful performances in celebration of 2015, the Year of the Sheep.
Guests sampled treats such as vegetarian sesame balls, spring rolls, and almond cookies as they watched dance, instrumental, and martial arts performances.
The Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association, a performing group from Madison, was able to make the drive to perform the Lion Dance at both the beginning and end of the festival. The Lion Dance is believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year.
“I think my favorite performance is a tie between the Lion Dance and the martial arts performance,” Johnathan Feldmeier, computer science major, said.
Other performances included music produced by a traditional Chinese zither instrument, the guzheng, a children’s performance, and a song performed by UW-Platteville students. The Chinese Spring Festival also offered activity booths for adults and children, which included calligraphy, couplets, and face painting. The face-painting booth was a new addition to the festival this year.
“We try to make a sheep because it’s the year of the sheep,” Gloria Wan, event volunteer and UW-Madison scholar, said. “But the kids like tigers so if they want to do a tiger, we try to do a funny tiger.”