By Karen Zraick
Apple blossoms surround the shrine to Amitabha, the celestial Buddha, signifying the beginning of spring even as snow piles up outside the Fan Yin Temple on Fort Hamilton Parkway. Bowls of fresh fruit and white rice crowd the golden statues inside the tranquil sanctuary. Eyes closed, worshippers chant the holy name of the Buddha in Mandarin, as the aroma of boiled peanuts and vegetarian duck wafts into the meeting room. Congregants have come from around the tri-state area to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which started Feb. 18. Like many others in this Chinese enclave in Sunset Park, they are feasting on traditional foods, visiting loved ones and tucking red envelopes stuffed with lucky money into the hands of friends and family members. “We eat fresh vegetables, sweet cakes and water chestnut cake,” said Kit Mui, a temple member and Homecrest resident. “It’s a big celebration!” To welcome in the Year of the Boar, the neighborhood is also gearing up for a parade slated for Feb. 25 along Eighth Avenue. Organizers at the non-profit Brooklyn Chinese-American Association expect as many as 20,000 revelers. This is the 19th year the parade has unfurled along the Eighth Avenue, the main strip of this satellite Chinatown, which now spans more than 20 blocks along Eighth Avenue. Its bustling sidewalks become crowded on weekends with customers thronging to the bakeries, restaurants and shops. The Asian population in the area increased 95 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to the 2000 census. People identified solely as Asian/Pacific Islander made up one-fifth of Community District 7, which encompasses Sunset Park and nearby Windsor Terrace, as of 2000. Of all Chinese-American New Yorkers, 34 percent resided in Brooklyn. Not everyone along Eighth Avenue is Chinese. The area also boasts a number of Vietnamese and Malaysian restaurants. The Lunar New Year is celebrated by many East Asian cultures, such as Vietnam and Korea, and also Chinese immigrant communities in other East Asian countries. While the majority of Fan Yin members hail from many different provinces throughout China, they also come from places like Taiwan, Korea and Japan. “It’s a little United Nations here,” said Master Chang Kuan, Fan Yin’s spiritual leader. Like other Buddhist nuns, she has a shaved head, and wears simple traditional robes. Kuan founded the storefront temple almost 10 years ago, shortly after arriving in the United States from Mount Putuo, one of four sacred mountains in Buddhism, located southeast of Shanghai. Kuan was the curator for the temple’s vast collection of cultural artifacts — some of which date back thousands of years. The Brooklyn temple, located at 5601 Fort Hamilton Pkwy., has grown to approximately 600 members, many of whom crowded into the temple last Sunday to say goodbye to the Year of the Dog. They were also saying hello to the Year of the Boar, which occurs just once every 60 years and which Chinese culture considers a year of benevolence and abundance. “In some ways it’s just like the American New Year,” said Lucy Lo, a temple volunteer and Sheepshead Bay resident . “We give thanks, even though we are at war with Iraq. To consider the environment around us, at least in New York, we had a good year and it was peaceful. We welcome the new year and we hope for a better one.” Community leaders and public officials will lead marchers in a fireworks display, traditional lion dance, Kung-Fu demonstration and music and dance showcases on Feb. 25 at the Brooklyn Chinese New Year Parade. Performances start at 11 a.m. at the grand stand on Eighth Avenue and 50th St. Students from P.S. 105, 1031 59th St., will perform a traditional Chinese fan dance, and the full band from McKinley Junior High School, 7301 Fort Hamilton Pkwy., will play, said BCAA staffer Jessica Weng. At 1 p.m. the colorful head lion will lead the marching teams and VIP guests along the avenue. The lions will dance in front of each store. The festivities are supposed to usher in a year of good luck for merchants and residents. “It’s symbolic of chasing away the bad,” Weng said. “When it chases away the bad, it actually brings in the good.” For more information about Brooklyn’s Lunar New Year Parade, call the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association at 718-438-0008.
