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From The Oregonian: Portland Japanese Garden Brings in the New Year with Tea Ceremony and Dance

A visitor to Portland Japanese Garden gets a lucky bite during the shishimai. Photo by Portland Japanese Garden.

The Oregonian sent reporter Tom Hallman Jr. and reporter and photographer Sean Meagher to Portland Japanese Garden to cover our O-Shogatsu celebration. The result was a wonderful article complemented by lovely photos of the event. Hallman Jr. writes, “The highlight of the day was the most public, a performance of the lion dance, a tradition common in many East and Southeast Asian countries. The dance is performed to ward off evil. A dancer, hidden under a colorful cloth, manipulates the mouth of an elaborate mask, while circling and dancing around the crowd. Legend says a person will have a year of good luck if the lion gently bites the person’s hand during the performance.” The article was also shared on Here is Oregon.