By Avery Ballmann | Staff Writer
In the early hours of Lunar New Year Sunday morning, the parking lot of East Market and Goods — a local Asian specialty market — was full of vendors and the hollow sound of a single beating drum. The sky blue Loong (the Chinese dragon) and the smell of Bahn mi, meat skewers and sticky rice wafted through the crowd. This is the market’s third annual celebration of this holiday and its energy emulated what the year of the rabbit signifies: prosperity, hope and calm.
Co-owner of East Market, Joni Navarra told Fox 44 she wanted to make this year’s celebration bigger than those past. The lineup for the Lunar New Year celebration included traditional Polynesian dances from Siva Ori, lumpia and ramen eating contests, a performance by the Waco Ukulele Orchestra, a Baylor Vietnamese Student Association fashion show and a performance by Fil-am Waco
Folk Dancers.
“Just by talking more and more with the community and really reaching out to see what they want and where they’re missing some things,” Navarra said. “Because everybody pretty much the Asian community here in Waco have little pockets that are hidden.”
East Market is the only Asian specialty food store in Waco. At the event there was a conglomerate of Asian businesses such as Le’s Kitchen, Cha Community, Clay Pot and others. There were other businesses in attendance such as Bridge City, a coffee roastery.
Evan Iluzada, co-owner of Bridge City and member of the Asian Leadership Network, is a first generation Filipino-American. He recently learned about Lunar New Year through his friends and said he is excited to be at this celebration to find out his connection within this community.
“I want to both embrace who I am and then to elevate Asians in this community and be able to bring value to what they do and to their businesses,” Iluzada said. “So I really want to be a participant and to figure out ways to promote the people that are out here as well.”
San Antonio sophomore Jessa Whalen, cultural chair of the Filipino Student Association, also recently learned how respected Lunar New Year is in the Philippines. FSA was invited to the event by Navarra because East Market sponsors the club by providing student discounts and hosting their events.
“We just love supporting them,” Whalen said. “So we find that this is a great opportunity for us to be here, not only to represent our organization, but also to also take part in something that they have created within the Waco community.”
At their booth, they were selling ube cookies, a vibrant purple and powdered sugar dessert and soda served in a bag, commonly known as “street-style.” One of their members won first place in the lumpia eating contest.
The Lunar New Year celebration brought together many different aspects of Asian culture, not just Chinese. The dances from Siva Ori Polynesian Dance left the stage on fire — literally. The group performed Siva Afi, a traditional dance from Samoa that incorporates flames while dancing. Other Pacific island dances were showcased by beautiful outfits and headpieces made from leaves
and colorful fabrics.
“I’m grateful for this community and to learn more about fellow Asians,” Iluzada said. “I have a lot to learn myself.”
Iluzada and Navarra shared aspirations of prosperity in Waco this year, both in the community and monetarily. FSA received a $2 bill, which is common in the holiday because the traditional red envelopes are vessels for monetary gifts. Whalen also received something more valuable than money — connection.
“I think the thing I enjoy the most is actually finding out that there are more Filipinos within Waco,” Whalen said. “Being able to actually connect with some of the Filipino community and other individuals of the Asian American population, it’s kind of like ‘whoa,’ I didn’t know there was so much representation within
Waco itself.”
When Navarra was asked about what she was most looking forward to at the event, her immediate answer was the smiles of the people.
“There’s always going to be a seat at the table,” Navarra said. “We’re very welcoming about it, in opening the diversity and just celebrating with everybody else, regardless of who they are.”
