On Friday, Feb. 8, join Wo Hing Society, LahainaTown Action Committee and Lahaina Restoration Foundation to celebrate the Year of the Pig in Lahaina. PHOTO BY LAHAINA RESTORATION FOUNDATION.

LAHAINA – Lahaina will celebrate the lunar New Year of the Pig with festivities for the whole family to enjoy. Lahaina Restoration Foundation invites the public to the Wo Hing Museum & Cookhouse on Friday, Feb. 8, for an evening of cultural art activities, exciting lion dancing and historical presentations that pay tribute to Chinese New Year.

The museum will be open between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. with free admission.

Lion dances with drums, gongs and cymbals will be performed in the museum yard at 858 Front St.

The New Year blessing by Au’s Shaolin Arts Society begins at 5 p.m. by the entrance to the Wo Hing Temple building.

Lai see envelopes will be handed out to feed the lions for good luck. After firecrackers are lit in the yard, the lions will dance down Front Street, stopping in shops and restaurants. At approximately 7:30 p.m., the lions will visit the Second Friday festivities at Campbell Park.

The Chinese cultural celebration at Wo Hing Museum & Cookhouse features a variety of free activities between 2 and 7 p.m.

To kick-off festivities, Dr. Busaba Yip will present the history of Chinese New Year at 2 p.m., and special guest Dennis Ryan, a collector, will tell the story of the pig: The first Chinese dragon. They will do a second presentation at 6 p.m.

Enjoy a musical performance from 3 to 7 p.m. by Toi Suchitra Srijantara on the Gu Zheng Chinese Harp and cimbalom.

From 4 to 7 p.m. in the museum yard, kids can make Year of the Pig paper bag puppets.

Cultural activities for all ages include Chinese calligraphy with Rev. Takayuki Meguro, the art of Chinese knot tying with Brenda Wong and the skill of mahjong playing with Paula Maki.

In China, Chinese New Year is not only the longest celebrated event but also the most important social holiday.

The lunar new year begins on the second new moon following the winter solstice and ends two weeks later on the full moon. Today, the new year is a week-long public holiday, so families can reunite and relax together, celebrating a year of hard work and offering wishes of good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

The pig is the 12th of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. Though sometimes thought of as short-tempered and naive, pig people are warm-hearted, good-tempered, loyal, honest and gentle.

Because they harbor no harm to others and can bring affluence to people, the pig sign is regarded as one of wealth.

People born in the Year of the Pig are usually considerate, independent and optimistic. They are able to endure other people’s mistakes and show mercy and generosity.

Chinese New Year is sponsored by Hawaii Tourism Authority and the county Office of Economic Development. For updates, call the LRF office at 661-3262, see LahainaRestoration.org/events or visit Facebook @LahainaRestoration.