CLEVELAND — The Lunar New Year is upon us, marking the arrival of spring and the start of the new year for many Asian cultures. This is the year of the dragon, and Cleveland’s Asia Town has been preparing for a weekend full of festivities. 

Christopher Kwan has been lion dancing since he was a kid.

“I started when I was around 4 or 5 years old, basically when I can start walking,” he said. “Being a little kid, you get a lot more of a baby face for the crowd.”

The lion dancing tradition for Kwan started with his dad.

“There is a headrest in here that I usually just let sit on my head, or these bars will sit on my shoulders sometimes,” he said.

He said the tradition goes beyond the costume. It’s about understanding the culture and the meaning behind these lions.

“The lion is mainly used to ward off evil spirits,” he said. “It all started back in the Tang dynasty, where this evil spirit came and terrorized their town, but this lion came in and basically saved the day. He warded off all the evil spirits. He warded off anything negative in the area.”

Kwan said he’s getting ready to perform in front of hundreds this weekend for Lunar New year at Asiatown’s Li Wah restaurant.

Edward Hom is part of the team at Li Wah and helped with this year’s traditional menu.

“This is a sample of the cart,” he said. “This is a shrimp dumpling. This is a steamed pork bun.”

Hom said it’s important to understand the true meaning of Lunar New Year.

“It’s really the closing of the old year and the beginning of the new year,” he said. “In China, Chinese New Years is the biggest celebration. Many businesses are closed for an entire month. Billions of people travel across the country to go back to see their parents and relatives from their home village.”