Chinese Food And A Lion Show: Make Plans Now To See New Year's Shows By Jow Ga Team

The lion dances tonight! Or at least for two weekends in February.

Who wants to see lions and dragons dance across Columbia -- and get some Chinese food as well?

The Lunar New Year comes February 10, and you can make reservations for special lunches and dinners where a local dance team will perform with firecrackers, drums, cymbals and colorful costumes.  Chinese restaurants hire the Jow Ga Kung Fu Athletic Association, and I've been emailing with Ed from the team to publicize the current dates (even the ones outside Howard County):

• Hunan Manor in Columbia, 1 pm, February 10 (410-381-1134)
• China Gourmet in Kensington, 6:30 pm on February 10 (301-946-9400)
• Jack's Fortune in Annapolis, 1 pm on February 16 (410-267-7731)
• Hunan Legend in Columbia, 5:15 pm and 8:15 pm, February 16 (410-884-3888)
• Mandarin House in Laurel, 6:15 pm, February 17 (301-604-7234)

Ed from the Jow Ga team said that the team -- lead by Sifu Derek Johnson -- has danced at local restaurants for more than a decade.  Johnson has run a Columbia school for years where students learn martial arts.  The dance team sprang out of the school, Ed said:

Members of the team

The Lion and Dragon Dance Team will be bringing luck, prosperity, and good fortune to the establishments they visit. The team members consist of students who study the traditional martial arts style of Jow Ga Kung Fu. Most of the performers are teens and young adults, but their ages range from eight to fifty-plus years old! Not only does the team perform at restaurants, but they also participate in weddings, parties, parades, and cultural festivals.

The lions will be bowing at the restaurant entrances and performing the custom of plucking auspicious greens and fruit offered by the restaurant owner. Firecrackers, loud drums, cymbals, and lucky red envelopes add the the boisterous festivities. Performances usually last about half an hour, depending on the crowd and venue. If restaurant patrons are having fun and are in good spirits, a lucky lion may come up to your table and get to know you a little better!

The team's dragon

Let me know if you're aware of any similar events.  I'm happy to post if there are other restaurants running similar dinners with lions and dragons.

For updated dates and times, check out the list of appearances on the Jow Ga Facebook page.  Notice that Facebook used the Jow Ga studio's address for the events.  All those restaurants aren't in Columbia.  For more photos, check out other photos on the Facebook page.