Click here to view a picture slide show of Saturday’s events.

Sacramento State students and members of the Sacramento community gathered Saturday in the University Union for a daylong celebration of the Chinese New Year and the beginning of the year of the Horse.

This year marked the 5th annual Chinese New Year Festival and over 30 vendors gathered participated including AAA, the Chinese American Political Action Committee, Health Net, Molina Healthcare, the Sacramento Bee, SMUD, and Washington Mutual.

The festivities included something for all ages.

Children used “Panda Bucks” to play games, and a line of children formed in front of “Nana Nikki’s Face Painting” station where they waited anxiously.

Musical tunes floated out the doors of the Hinde auditorium as competitors in the karaoke contest sang their hearts out for a chance at the $300 prize.

The opening ceremony began at 1 p.m. in the University Ballroom kicking off the festivities. The stage was elaborately decorated for the event with dimmed lights and a red backdrop bearing a gold Chinese symbol.

Drums and cymbals pounded as the Lun Yee Tong group entered the ballroom and performed their dragon performance to an attentive audience.

Speaker Cindy Wu exclaimed, “lets start the year by hitching up the wagon of peace and prosperity!”

Master of Ceremony, Amy Tong, opened up with a comment on the September 11th tragedy and stressed the unity that has emerged within the community since the disaster.

“Together we can overcome any obstacle and make a better place for you, for me, and most importantly for our children,” said Tong.

Chairman of the Chinese New Year Celebration Alliance’s planning committee, Jong Chen, welcomed the audience and commented briefly on Chinese contributions to society.

“We are proud of our heritage, our culture, and our contributions,” said Chen.

In an unprecedented event, Auburn Postmaster Stuart Jann unveiled the commemorative Zodiac Stamp for the year of the Horse onstage.

“This stamp celebrates the diversity of our country and the diversity of our workforce,” said Jann.

Other events included folk dances, Kung Fu demonstrations, musical performances, and photo exhibitions.

The event was co-sponsored by the CSUS Multi-Cultural Center, the CSUS College of Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Studies, and many local businesses.