RWC helped to bring in the Asian New Year with an authentic Japanese dance demonstration by the Indianapolis Minyo Dancers. The dance troop consists of five Asian women who are dedicated to keeping the tradition of Japanese dance alive and sharing it with others. Helen Kegler, the RWC Director of Multi-Cultural Student Affairs invited the dance troop here after she saw them perform at an event she attended and was very impressed with their performance.
The Minyo Dancers performed several routines displaying the beauty of Japanese dance. They wore colorful Japanese garments and incorporated fans, sticks, and drums in their presentation. They also demonstrated with the help of a student from the audience the proper way to put on traditional Kimono clothing. The activities of the day included a free buffet of Chinese cuisine.
The Asian New Year celebration starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. The Asian calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days.
In order to “catch up” with the solar calendar, Asians insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Asian New Year falls on a different date each year, but always in January or February. The Asian New Year started on February 1 this year, which is the year of the Black Sheep and the year 4700 by the Asian calendar.