Kong Celebrates Year of Ox

With a burst of firecrackers and a platter of fried rangoons, Harvard Square rang in the Year of the Ox yesterday.

A group of about 50 people—accompanied by two multi-colored lions who performed a traditional lion dance—paraded from Winthrop Park on JFK St. to the Hong Kong Restaurant on Mass. Ave.

The advent of the Chinese lunar calendar came on Jan. 26, but the celebration typically continues for about a week.

The event was organized by the Hong Kong Restaurant and the Harvard Square Business Association.

After the procession, families piled into the Kong for food, Chinese-themed arts and crafts, and a puppet show.

This year marks the third year that the HSBA has partnered with the Kong for a Chinese New Year parade and celebration—although the Kong has been sponsoring the lion dance, performed by the Wah Lum Kung Fu Association, since 1986.

Denise A. Jillson, the executive director of the HSBA, described the partnership with the Kong as a means of “exploring the cultural heritage in Harvard Square.”

“We bring in people from communities all around who are not necessarily Chinese or Asian but love the idea of exploring these cultures,” Jillson said.

Among the procession of parade-goers were many families eager to expose their children to Chinese culture.

Kristen Sopko, a resident of Waltham Mass., came with her four-year-old daughter Katherine, who sat on her father’s shoulders to get a better view of the festivities.

“We only read about it or saw it on TV,” Sopko said. “We want to get her used to different things.”

This year marks the Kong’s 54th birthday. The family-run business is currently managed by the children of Sen and Buoy Lee, who opened the restaurant in 1954.

In an interview yesterday, Buoy Lee, who is no longer directly involved in the business’ daily affairs, recalled when she and her husband did all the cooking and washing in the business’ early days.

When asked how her family celebrated the Chinese New Year in the past, Lee said it was always the “same thing”: an early closing and a party for the staff.

—Staff writer Lingbo Li can be reached at lingboli@fas.harvard.edu.