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A double celebration means double the fun at the Year of the Boar New Year’s Festival and Malasadas Day Celebration Saturday at Hawaii’s Plantation Village. The event includes a Chinese lion dance, free samplings of the celebrated Portuguese malasadas and plantation-style games.
The museum educates visitors about the lifestyle, history and culture of Hawaii’s sugar plantation workers who came from all over the world. These immigrants — Chinese, Portuguese, Puerto Ricans, Japanese, Koreans, Okinawans and Filipinos — brought with them traditions and foods “from the old country” that continue to be celebrated today, said Lorene Ono, publicity volunteer at Hawaii’s Plantation Village.
At the event, families “will be able to enjoy the festivities of these different cultures all in one place, in the plantation village setting that will return you to a time and place when sugar was king,” Ono said.
At all seven ethnic houses in the village, there will be free food samples, including Chinese gao and Japanese mochi. There will be more ethnic foods for sale, including Chinese dim sum and Okinawan andagi, plus hot dogs and shave ice.
Other highlights include a Shinto blessing, passport game to introduce children to the different ethnic houses on the property and crafts for sale. Also, adults and children can dress up in Korean costumes and receive a photo at no charge.
YEAR OF THE BOAR NEW YEAR’S FESTIVAL AND MALASADAS DAY CELEBRATION
>> Where: Hawaii’s Plantation Village, 94-695 Waipahu St.
>> When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
>> Cost: Free admission and parking; $1 for all-day game pass and/or passport activity
>> Contact: 677-0110, hawaiiplantationvillage.org
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