Amelie and I celebrated February 14th this year in the traditional way… with Chinese food and a dragon dance!   The 28th Annual Chinese New Year Festival was observed on the 14th in a big festival at Miami Dade College.

We are currently in the Year of the Monkey, or the Red Fire Monkey. IUt runs from February 8th to January 27th, 2017.   If you were born in 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, or this year, you were born under the sign of the monkey.

These Buddhists make some really tasty buns.

I’m just saying… the food at this festival was awesome.  I actually enjoyed it so much that I forgot to photograph most of it.  Here’s some rolls.

…and some adorable candy.

Famous monkeys include Eleanor Roosevelt, Mick Jagger, Joan Crawford, Lyndon B. Johnson, Leonardo da Vinci, Celine Dion, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Hugh Jackman, Lucy Liu, Pope John Paul II, Bette Davis, Owen Wilson, Margaret Cho, Toni Braxton, Christina Aquilera, Jennifer Aniston, David Copperfield, Alicia Keys, George Lucas, Kylie Minogue, Julius Caesar, Tom Hanks, Diana Ross,  Elizabeth Taylor, Venus Williams, and Yao Ming.

This guy may or may not be a monkey, but he’s certainly making one of my favorite festival treats.  I hadn’t seen these anywhere since I left Germany.  The very first time I saw them, I was in Prague, but they’re just as delicious here as there.    Mmm, cinnamony!

The show started with the traditional Lion and Dragon Dance, performed by Wing Lung Tai Chi Kung Fu School.  The dragon is being led by the monkey king, holding a sphere representing a pearl.

It is said that if a Lion looks at you during a dance, you will have good luck for the year.

The stage had a variety of other performances throghout the day.   Here’s Soul of Shaolin from Shaolin Academy, a.k.a. kids with weapons.

There were some Taiko drums, courtesy of Matsuriza Taiko Drums.  I do love Taiko.

I believe this was a Han folk dance, but I sort of lost my place in the program after the Taiko drumming, and this could also be the Miami Chinese Choral.  I’m really not sure.

Have you ever been to a Chinese New Year festival?