✰PREMIUM
Lunar New Year acknowledged at Il Centro Community Center

‘A remarkable showcase of culture, tradition and community’

March 17, 2025 Wayne Daren Schneiderman

Members of the NYC Police Department and District Leader Nancy Tong (second from right) smile for the camera. Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

Share this:

BATH BEACH — The Year of the Snake was celebrated loud and proud at Il Centro Community Center on Feb. 12, as north of 150 spectators, along with several elected officials, danced, ate and partied the day away, commemorating Lunar New Year.

Cuisine on display for hungry Il Centro attendees. Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

The gala was co-sponsored by Homecrest Community Services, the United Chinese Association of Brooklyn and the Chinese American Social Services Center.

Il Centro, a modern state-of-the-art cultural community center in Southern Brooklyn, is owned by The Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn (FIAO), a not-for-profit, charitable community service organization.

Dancers doing their thing for Lunar New Year at Il Centro. Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

Jack Spatola, FIAO chair, pointed out that while it is an Italian-American center, people from all different backgrounds are welcome.

“We sponsor monthly multicultural celebrations, such as this one — as well as events for Hispanic heritage, Italian heritage, African American heritage and others,” Spatola told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Jubilation and positive vibes were in the air for the Year of the Snake. Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

“That’s what we built the center for; we want to create a stronger and better community,” he added. “We are honored to celebrate the Lunar New Year. It’s a remarkable showcase of culture, tradition and community,”

Since 1976, FIAO has been a leader in bridging the rich diversity of Brooklyn’s multicultural communities by delivering free programs and services to help improve the quality of life for all children, youth, families and seniors.

Even youngsters were a part of the theatrics. Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

Currently, the organization has 4,000 members.

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, is a 15-day festival typically celebrated in China and other Asian countries that recognizes the start of the New Year, similar to New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the United States.

Approximately 150 people attended the celebration. Photo by Arthur De Gaeta

Lunar New Year celebrates the arrival of spring and, as the most important holiday in China, it is a time of year for reuniting with loved ones.

Each year, Lunar New Year marks the transition between the zodiac signs, with each year said to bear the characteristics represented by its zodiac. Each animal represents one of the 12 stations or signs along the path of the sun through the cosmos.