The city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs’and Somerville Asian Family Network Lunar New Year event took place at East Somerville Community School last Sunday afternoon. — Photos by Joei Chan

By Joei Chan

The City of Somerville’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and Somerville Asian Family Network  hosted its first-ever Lunar New Year event on January 28 at the East Somerville Community School. Open to the general public, the event was well received as around 300 people of all ages came to celebrate.

To observe the Lunar New Year, activities such as Losar Tibetan prayer flag arts and crafts, a Chinese shadow play, The Adventure at the Kingdom of India – A Story from Journey to the West 天竺奇遇記, by the Chinese American Association of Cambridge, an author talk with Vincent Yee, and even a display of posters made by families to showcase how they celebrate the New Year. A selection of snacks for everyone was also available, making this truly an inclusive event for everyone of all ages and backgrounds.

There were also several community partners and members of city departments in attendance conducting outreaches by bringing in representatives and materials for those who came to the celebration.

Community partners included the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), the Chinese American Association of Cambridge (CAAC), the Somerville Asian Family Network (SAFN), Groundwork Somerville, Nepali Class Boston, and the Tibetan Association of Boston – Sunday School.

City Departments included the Human Rights Commission, Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, RSJ (Racial and Social Justice), SomerPromise and the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC), and the Somerville Office of Immigrant Affairs (SOIA).