Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Long Beach gets ready for Cambodian New Year Parade

Apr. 2, 2007
Parade Celebrates Arrival Of Year Of Pig

By Heidi Hatch
Staff Writer
Gazette Newspapers (Long Beach, Ca., USA)

In the Cambodian community, the Year of the Pig is set to begin and signifies wealth, prosperity and plentiful food. The New Year will be ushered in at the Third Annual Cambodian New Year Parade, scheduled to step off on Anaheim Street Saturday, April 7.

Traditionally, the Cambodian New Year is celebrated over a three-day period, which this year falls from April 13 to 15. Parade organizers decided not to schedule events that weekend because many people in the community were planning to go the temple and pray during the traditional new year.

Peter Long, chairman of the Cambodian Coordinating Council, said he believed there would be more community participation if events took place on an alternate weekend.

“We’re hoping it’s going to be a big event,” Long said. “We’re expecting 10,000 to 15,000 spectators. We’re hoping that we can highlight the Anaheim corridor and make it a tourist attraction, where people can come and enjoy different types of ethnic foods and shops.”

An interfaith ceremony will precede the parade, kicking off the day’s events at 9:30 a.m.

“Religion is an important part of our culture,” Long said. “We want to encourage everyone from Christians to Muslims to Buddhists to pray for peace and a happy new year.”

The parade steps off at 10:30 a.m. at Anaheim Street and Junipero Avenue, and continues west down Anaheim, ending at MacArthur Park, at Anaheim Street and Gundy Avenue. Approximately 65 to 70 groups are expected to participate in the parade, including dancers, musicians along with several colorful floats. This year’s theme is “Building the Bridge to the Future Together.”

“We’re thankful to call Long Beach our home and we want to share our culture with other ethnic groups in the community,” Long said. “It’s a cultural show. We have Hmong people, Filipinos, Chinese, Turkish — we have several different ethnic groups participating.”

Afterwards, from 1 to 3 p.m. a stage will be set up in MacArthur Park for those who would like to perform traditional cultural dances. Anyone can sign up, but performers should register in advance.

The heart of the Cambodian community in Long Beach is centered along Anaheim Street, also known as Cambodia Town, and is the largest Cambodian community in the United States.

“I hope that people will appreciate the rich culture that Cambodia has and that we can all share it together,” Long said.

Two weeks from the parade, on April 21, Cambodian New Year celebration events will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in El Dorado Park, 7550 E. Spring St. The day’s activities will include religious ceremonies, youth activities, face painting, stage performances, food and live music. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend. Admission tickets in advance are $20 per vehicle, or $30 per vehicle the day of the event. Additionally, a $6 fee per car will be charged by park staff to enter park grounds.

For more information, call 607-9261 or log on to www.cam-cc.org.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

May Peace stays and unifies Long Beach residents in this coming occassion and years to come.

Anonymous said...

Why do they like to show off ? why can't they just celebrate in buddhist temple like they usually did in their native land?.These people are out of control ....

Anonymous said...

it bothers you that they can have such freedom of expressions?

Why don't you go live elsewhere where citizens cannot be allow to do that. You'll be much of happier than living here in the U.S PUNK!

Anonymous said...

It is not cheap to celebrate Cambodian new year in City of Long Beach.

---------------------
20,000 people=20,000 cars
1 car = $20 or $30
additional $6 for the park staff.

Now 1 car = $26 or $36

20,000 cars x $26 = $520,000!!!

The following is a ballpark estimate! I know there are more than 20,000 people attended the even every year!!!

Anonymous said...

4:10AM, Nobody forbid you from showing your damned freedom of expresion, but do it in a way that respect the feeling of natives. No extreme noises,and no garbages all over the place.Get it jackass.....
old timer L.B residence

Anonymous said...

6am..you are one of the individaul jacked-up-faces, LB old timer ma ass. That is the reason why freedom of expression is all about. Others do their stuff, why can't we, idiot? Im proud as the Cambodian in LB and I pay tax for the city to clean up. Where da fuck have you been Old timer? Are you on welfare or something?

LB resident

Anonymous said...

Yeah, and just exactly what are
you trying to express, you are a
better Punk than the Mexican,
African, Vietnamese, ..., and Laotian in the neighborhood or
something? What is a bunch of losers? We don't want to see your
stupid expression. Keep it to
yourself, idiots.

Anonymous said...

8:07AM..YES, when you parked your fucking cars in OUR DRIVE WAY, set up your damned lunches in our front LAWN and used our lawn water to clean your fucking plates and leave such a foul SMELL of your food all over, don't you think we can complain,DUMB ASS.

Anonymous said...

LONG BEACH , NEW YEAR PARADE OF CRAZY GRINGOS AFFECTED BY VIRUS AIDS AND SPR!

PLEASE COME TO ENJOY AND GET THE VIRUS....

Anonymous said...

ahahahahahhahahah!

To 3:21 AM!, 2:48PM!!!

Fuck you mother fucker!!! Tell me mother fucker! How many other ethnic group in California have their own parade and what do you have to say about that??? The Cambodian new year parade is one way to hight diversity within the City of Long Beach and attract more business to City of Long Beach and to Cambodian community!!!

All of you fucker have would never understand or appreciate the positive thing that Cambodian community had contributed to the City of Long Beach over the years!!! Your fucken brain power is so limited!!!

I suggest to all you fucker get the fuck out City of Long Beach cause City of Long Beach don't need retarded and crazy people like all of you!!!

Anonymous said...

There is no positive thing
contributed by the Fake Khmer, you
idiot. Stop fabricating nonsense,
will ya?

Anonymous said...

To 11:33PM Mother fucker!!!

Fuck you mother fucker!!!Do you live in City of Long Beach mother fucker???Do you know that the average house in the City of Long Beach is about $400,000 and more..
Do you know how expensive it is to live in city of Long Beach??? Where have you been mother fucker??
Do you know how many Cambodian businesses in city of Long Beach which pay alot in taxes to the City of Long Beach?? Do you even know how much the City of Long Beach make every time Cambodian people celebrate their new year???
Unless you are fucken blind not to notice cause Cambodian people will spent more than $500,000 just to enjoy their holiday!!!!

I am fabricating mother fucker???You should come down to City of Long Beach and I like to show you around or worst I like to shoot you in the head for being so fucken stupid!!!

Your fucken stupidity show me that you don't even live in City of Long Beach and you wouldn't know shit or what hell is going on in Long Beach...

Keep on talking stupid mother fucker cause I know you are make a fool out of yourself...

Fucken ghetto bastard!!!You won't find any positive thing in your fucken life because you are fucken stupid to see any positive in the first place!!!

Good luck with your fucken gloomy life mother fucker!!!

I told you that It is painful to be stupid!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey, cut the bullshit here,
asshole. I am not arguing about
expensive house in LB. What I am
saying is most of you (losers) is
still living in a government funded
housing alright?

And don't give me no crap about you
spending $500,000. We spend more
than that in poor Cambodia, okay?

Anonymous said...

Hey ah 7:02 yellow stomach southeast asian motherfucker.
YOU ARE SO FUCKING ARROGANT.IF YOU LIKE YOU CULTURE SO MUCH,WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO BACK TO WHERE YOU BELONG.

Anonymous said...

Go back, and let you destroy
our beloved khmers people again?
Dream on, asshole.

Anonymous said...

To a Jackass 6:44AM!

What about you man?? Are you a leech or what?? Your fucken ass had been living in United States for how many years now and have you contribute any positive thing to American society???I tell you what!!!You got shit to contribute to American society and that explain why you have nothing to say!!Who the fuck are you??? You think I am arrogrant because I have something better to say than you mother fucker!!!!

Oh I see!!!You mother fucker favor the melting pot concept do you???You fucken think that Cambodian people refused to blend in with the larger American society???You are wrong mother fucker!!!More Cambodian-American get involve with the community and politic than ever before!

Hey jackass! Before you call yourself American and you better look at yourself in the mirror!!!
Don't you ever forget that the only true American is white American!!!And the rest is just a minority!!!!ahahahahah

This fucken fool is not proud of who he is and he want to be white American and this fool keep forgetting that only white American can become the president of United States!!!!

Now it is your turn mother fucker!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

To jackass 5:34AM

ahahahahahha!

This mother fucker compare orange and apple!!!aahahahhaha Let make it clear here, the City of Long Beach is just a small city and Cambodia is a country!!!ahahahahh

Do you have statistic to back up your claim that most of Cambodian people are living on government fund such as housing?? I dare you to show me!!! And don't forget to compare you fucken statistic to other nationality such African-American,Vietnamese-American,Loatian-American,Mexican-American,or whatever!!!

What about you??? You are a fucken loser yourself!!!ahahahahahhah

Dude if you get in the ring with me next time and you won't be lucky this time!!!ahahahahahh

This fool has too much salt in his brain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey, Jackass!!!..alot of anger and tension from you. Let me guess, you got NO friends, No girlfriend..haven't been laid in 100 years..and all that steam inside is making you ignorant and just ..mad at the world. Damm...do yourself a favor and put a knife across your throat.RACISM got no place in this world.

Anonymous said...

Old fart Jackass..your nearing death..maybe another 5 or 10 years left,and you still carry hatred with you..such as shame. What a way to die.