LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – May is a month of celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander culture. In Lincoln, one center continued its tradition of highlighting various customs from around the continent.

The Asian Community and Cultural Center is celebrating the Year of the Dragon with the annual event, featuring multicultural food, music, and performances including the Dragon Dance.

Program Coordinator at the Center, Rebecca Reinhardt said this year’s celebration is special. She said the Year of the Dragon symbolizes good fortune and abundance in Chinese culture.

“The Dragon means rich and strong,” Reinhardt said. “So we want everyone to come together and be like a family- that’s what the dragon dance means.”

Reinhardt said the event is the center’s way of bringing people of the community together through various mediums like food, dance, and art.

“The Asian Community Culture Center serves seven cultural communities we want to use this opportunity to get all the cultures we serve together and celebrate their tradition,” Reinhardt explained.

People of different backgrounds from Lincoln took in performances and immersed themselves in something new. From the colorful dragon dance to the interactive tinkling dance where the crowd was encouraged to join.

“Lincoln is an immigrant hub and everybody comes to Lincoln from different cultural backgrounds,” Reinhardt added. “The Asian center wants to be the bridge that brings the residents and immigrants and refugees together to make them understand each other, accept each other, and respect each other.”

The Cultural Center provides various programs for immigrants and refugees in the Capital City. It offers citizenship classes as well as English courses.

For more information about the Asian Community and its offerings click here.

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