By Elizabeth Campos

Staff Writer

Disneyland Parks hosted its annual Lunar New Year celebration honoring the year of the dog, with Pluto as the face of it all.

From Jan.26 through Feb.18, guests were invited to join the festivities held in California Adventure Park, providing not only fun activities for families to become involved in, but cultural learning experiences as well.  Disney offered events that ranged from authentic multicultural musicians and performances, to special appearances by popular Disney characters dressed in holiday costumes and a variety of Asian foods for guests to try, and had events for guests of all ages to be a part of.

Disney produced the “Hurry Home” water light show, backed by the audio of characters Mulan and Mushu explaining the significance of the Lunar New Year.  Guests were able to experience and learn what the Lunar New Year is about from a family aspect, as Mulan and Mushu share their family experiences as well.

“I think it’s a nice touch on all that Disney normally does for its parks. The decor is beautiful and the food is really good, it’s a good experience in terms of expanding my knowledge of different cultures,” stated Senior Disney Pass Holder, Mariah Aragonez.

Immersing their guests in more cultural experiences, the parks provides a high-energy troupe of drummers, storytellers and athletes  from Shanghai. These drummers put on a colorful show sharing the history and significance behind the drums in the culture as well. Korean and Vietnamese musicians also shared their music as well in the Paradise Garden.

Gabrielino students senior Tiffany Chung and junior Serena Trang also got to participate in Mulan’s Lunar New Year Parade and danced alongside characters in a traditional Chinese dance. The girls were able to be a part of the festivities given the opportunity through their dance studio in Temple City, Li’s Ballet and supported the non-profit organization, the Asian Arts Talent Foundation.

“It’s really exciting to be able to go to Disneyland as a performer to entertain people and teach them about Chinese culture,” stated Senior Tiffany Chung, “because most people usually go for the rides [and] ignore what’s around them, it’s so nice to be able to grab their attention.”

For guests to further emerge themselves in the celebration, Disney, has released Lunar New Year merchandise that was on sale throughout the park during the time of the event.

“Disney Parks Merchandise collaborated with the Shanghai Disney Resort merchandise team to develop this year’s assortment of celebratory merchandise,” stated Erin Glover, the Editorial Content Director for Disneyland Resorts, “commemorating the Year of the Dog, the merchandise artwork features Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse along with favorite Disney pup, Pluto.”