In American culture, New Year’s Day is traditionally known as a day to relax, recover and perhaps watch some football. However, in the Chinese culture, New Year’s Day is a time to rejoice with family and friends with some of the most recognizable and colorful celebrations in the world.

In commemoration of the Year of the Dog, the Chinese New Year Cultural Association will present an all-day, traditional New Year’s celebration beginning at 10 a.m., Saturday in the University Union at Sacramento State.

The festivities will include a number of customary events and exhibits, including the widely recognized lion’s dance, as well as Taekwondo and Kung Fu presentations.

“We’re very excited to be involved,” said Ka’ren Minasian, of the local Robinson Taekwondo dojo that performs regularly for numerous Northern California events. Approximately 25 Robinson students will perform an intense demonstration of the Korean-based martial art.

Traditional Chinese music and dance will also be featured along with a karaoke contest and several painting and art exhibits. One of the many musical performances will be that of accordion instructor Caleb Lee and his students.

“We’ve been practicing very hard,” said Lee, whose two children will be playing along side him as they perform two country music sets.

The event will be concluded with a three-hour ballroom dance in the Redwood Room.

The celebration will also include the U.S. Post Office presentation of the reintroduction of the award-winning Lunar New Year’s calendar stamp collection first issued in 1992. The flamboyant anthology displays each of the 12 zodiac animals and their calligraphic symbol.

According to Chinese Astrology, the lunar calendar attributes the characters of certain animals to those born during that year. The calendar suggests the year of the dog will bring individuals that are like dogs8212;loyal and trustworthy.

In years past, the celebration has drawn thousands of spectators and participants. This year the CNYCA’s all-ages festivities will emphasize the involvement of youth in the celebration with games and songs that children can participate in.

Jianjun Chen, President of the CNYCA, said that the organization’s push to incorporate younger Chinese generations will help strengthen heritage awareness.

“This structural characteristic of our organization puts us in closer tie with the younger generation and the community,” said Chen in an e-mail interview.

Chen also cited the diverse Sacramento region as a catalyst for the organizations success and growing popularity, and had optimism for the years ahead.

“The active involvements of children and parents from various local organizations and Chinese schools in preparation for this event have created a natural channel for passing the essence of the Chinese culture to the younger generation,” Chen wrote in a statement on the organizations Web site.

The CNYCA is a nonprofit organization that is governed by elected members of several local Chinese outfits, including the Elk Grove Chinese Association, the Sacramento Chinese Culture Foundation and the California Chinese Engineers’ Association.

The event will also give the opportunity to local merchants to advertise their products and services.Every year this famous celebration begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice, this year falling on Jan. 29. Traditionally, the festivities last 15 days and conclude with the Festival of Lanterns, in which children go out at night carrying elaborate, colorful lanterns.

Tickets for the event are $5 general and $1 for children.

Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]