Celebrate Chinese New Year

Bill and Cynthia Collins, owners of Collins Family Jewelers, will host a Chinese New Year celebration at their store on Feb. 10. (photo courtesy of the Collins family)

Celebrate Chinese New Year

Most have heard the idiom “bull in a china shop,” but on Feb. 10 there will be a lion in a jewelry shop to celebrate Chinese New Year, and everyone is invited.

Scripps Ranch residents Bill and Cynthia Collins, owners of Collins Family Jewelers, will host a Chinese New Year celebration at their store, 8220-A Mira Mesa Blvd. (near Marshalls), featuring lion dancing on Feb. 10. Part of this event includes a large, colorful costume lion running through their jewelry store.

“One of the lions will run through the store to chase away remnants of last year, bad or good. … It’s like a cleansing of the store,” Cynthia explained. “We go inside, being the owners, and run through. The lion dances all the way through. … They come back out and then there are fire crackers at the entrance to scare off any evil spirits from the past year.”

Up to three lions are expected during the event. A troupe of high school-aged performers will be inside the costumes. Others will perform on drums and some will perform martial arts demonstrations.

Following the lion dancing through the store, and the fire crackers, the group will present the Collins family with a banner for the new year. Youngsters can also feed the lions. Red envelopes will be available for attendees who want to make monetary donations to the troupe. They can place a few dollars in the envelopes and place them in the mouth of a lion.

Collins Family Jewelers will also make a donation to the performers for their scholarship fund.

The Collins family has held this event for about five years, according to Cynthia.

“It’s really been gratifying to do this year to year,” she said. “It’s our gift to the community because it’s not often you can have lion dancing in your own community. … We are really pleased people have learned to expect it here every year. Culturally, it’s great to let the kids see this.”

While the official Chinese New Year will be on Friday, Feb. 16 this year, the Collins Family Jewelers event will be held on Saturday, the weekend before to make it more convenient for families to attend. This will be the Year of the Dog.

The Chinese New Year celebration at Collins Family Jewelers will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10.