Guest Blog By: Amanda “Miss Panda” Hsiung-Blodgett via hartlynkids.blogspot.com
May is the month to celebrate the culture and history of Asian-Pacific Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month originated as a congressional bill in 1978 and in 1992 it was expanded from a week to a month-long celebration. This is a good time to learn something new about the diversity of Asian-Pacific cultures or to reflect on your culture with your child if you are descended from these groups.
Here in Hawaii we celebrate many Asian cultures throughout the year. We watch mochi pounding demonstrations and try out kimonos at the Ohana Festival at the Japanese Cultural Center. We enjoy the acrobatic Dragon dance, Chinese crafts for kids, and various traditional lunar new year dishes during the three-week-long Chinese New Year festivities in town. Many people wear leis on Lei Day and its celebration includes music, hula and lei making. We feel the power of tae kwon do and sample savory Korean cuisine like kim chi fried rice at the annual Korean Festival…
Read the rest of this post on the Hartlyn Kids blog to get more hands-on ideas for how to celebrate Asian-Pacific Heritage Month with the family.
