St. Francis of Assisi parish celebrates Lunar New Year

On Feb. 8, St. Francis of Assisi Church in La Quinta celebrated the Lunar New Year as the parish’s Vietnamese community led a special Mass and festivities. The liturgy was followed by a dragon dance and a reception with entertainment and fellowship. The Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population. In the Chinese zodiac, 2026 is the year of the horse.