Brandon’s Chinese New Year

I am nine years old and I have been through plenty of experiences, but best of all, I have been in the Chinese New Year celebrations in CT.

During the Chinese New Year, we dress like people from old times, like from thousands of years ago.  We also wear very fancy clothes.  Besides that, I also have to wear a hat, but it’s not a hat from the old days. It has some braided yarn hanging from the back to look like a hair braid, because in the old days, it was the emperor’s rule that your hair had to have a braid.

Every year, we wake up at about 5 o’clock in the morning and get ready.  When I woke up, it was still dark.  I could not believe it!  How can I perform in this?  Not thinking, I got on my Chinese clothes (with my mother’s help).  Everyone in our house knew it was a big day.  The 1995 celebration was the first time I ever went on stage.  That year I was only two and half.  I stood behind the curtain and looked out and saw what seemed to this little two-year–old to be like a million people watching!  In the beginning of the show, we had a small lion dance, and right after it I did something that you can’t do when you are older.  I said to my Dad: “I want to go up there and say something!”

Without thinking, I ran up to the microphone, but the microphone was so tall.  I stood on my tippy toes and reached out with both hands and I still could not reach it.  Thinking I could not do it, an old man came up and took the microphone down for me.  Now I had the microphone in my hands.  I yelled in Chinese: “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” The crowd stood up and responded back to me, some in both Chinese and English: “Happy New Year!”

Now I got really scared and ran behind the curtain.  But it was very fund.  At the end I fell asleep.  When I woke up, I heard my Mom talking to a man.  The man was saying: “Your son stole the show.”  At that time, I had no idea of what he meant.  That evening, we went home and my Mom was talking to my Day saying: “Brandon did a good job today.  Do you think he should start your martial arts class?  It really will change the show.”

January 4, 1999 was the year that I will remember all my life.  About 800 people attended our celebration.  Today we would have a Monkey King performance (A famous Chinese story about a monkey that learned Chinese Martial Arts and defended his master on the journey to the West.), Chinese acrobatics, someone playing the Chinese     er hu (a traditional instrument), martial arts demonstrations and a lion dance (used to scare away all the evil spirits that coming to destroy the new year.) I thought I would sit back and relax in my chair and enjoy the show.  Suddenly I heard someone calling my name.  I walked over to him.  He said: “Brandon, your Dad is looking for you.” So I walked over to the back of the stage.  My Dad looked at me seriously.  He said to me: “Brandon, Master Richard Cassaro could not make it today,”  I looked at back to him and did not understand what he meant. “Yeah, So?” I said.

“Brandon, he could not make it and we cannot cancel it since the music has been programmed already,” he said.  Then, my heart sand.  I knew what he meant.  He wanted me to go on!!! I said: “No! No! No! I am not going on!  Get someone else!” Thinking fast, I said, “I want to go to the bathroom!” He said: “Brandon, you just went.” But I said: “But I want to go again!”

“Brandon, look at me.  I need your help.  If you don’t go on, maybe next year no one will come!” he said.  Horrified, I said: “What is the music piece?” He said: “It’s your favorite song – “A Man Needs to be a Man! ”I said: “Okay…”

I walked over to the curtain and looked at all the people.  About 1,600 eyeballs are going to look at me1  I asked my Dad: “What time should I go on?” He went to the stage manager and came back and said: “In about three minutes.” I made a small yelp.

He put his hand over my should and said: “Brandon, I know you can do it.”  Then I heard the microphone’s feedback.  I heard the Mc saying: “Now presenting Master Richard Cassaro of Massachusetts, Chinese Martial Arts.”  I saw my Dad run quickly over to him and whisper in his ear.  He came back with grin on his face.  “Brandon, get ready!” he said.

Just then, I heard the MC announce: “We are sorry to inform you that Master Cassaro could not make the show.  So we present you with the youngest master: five year old Brandon Xing!”

I took three deep breaths and walked on to the center of the stage.  I forgot myself and did not know what I was thinking.  I turned my head to   see my Dad.  He whispered: “Count to three.”  The music started.  Then I was counting in my head…one…two…THREE!  I STARTED MY FORM.  I HAD NO IDEA WHAT I WAS DOING.  All I did was to think of what I learnt and do it.  It was hard at first to keep up with the music and the pace.  As the music got slower, I started to do tai chi, but when the music got faster, I did Kung Fu.  I found my pace and kept up with it.

When I thought I could not take any more of this, the music stopped.  My job was done.  I stood there proudly and took a bow.  I knew I could do it.  When I went to the back of the stage, my Dad gave me a big hug.  Half blind with tears, he said: “I knew you could do it!”  And then, even though I was behind the curtain, the crowd was so loud that I could hear it clearly.  Everyone loved it!  After that, I was so disappointed that I was not going to perform the lion dance.  Sadly, I went outside and took a stretch.  And as the crisp cold air went though my lungs, my sadness seemed to go away.  I knew next year there would be more people joining the festival.

The next morning, I was woken up by a phone call.  My Mom screamed.  I looked at the answering machine.  There were 26 new calls all telling us:  “Brandon was on the first page of the Hartford Courant.” 

Our celebration was a full success! 

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