Gung hee fat choy!

Today’s Lunar New Year ushers in the Year of the Boar, or Pig — and it’s a day celebrated by many here with family, eating jai (monk’s food) and sticky gau, and pouring sweet tea and receiving li see. And in multicultural Hawaii, these traditions go well beyond those of Chinese ancestry, to be celebrated by all.

While most of the new year’s festivities in Chinatown occurred this past weekend, there’s still much to see and enjoy in the historic district downtown. There are the eateries and farmers markets, for sure, but also Year of the Boar souvenirs galore, such as T-shirts and fuzzy stuffed-toy piggies.

Puu Oo fades away, quietly

On Monday, Jan. 3, 1983, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported on a new eruption on Kilauea’s East Rift Zone: “Volcano’s 9-Hour Show Ends.”

No one knew at the time, but the show would go on for 35 years, awing visitors but also wreaking havoc, including burying Kalapana in 1990.

So it was bittersweet to see Saturday’s Star-Advertiser’s front-page headline, “Puu Oo eruption over after 7 quiet months.” While it felt like the end of an era, it’s only a matter of time before Kilauea erupts again, volcanologists say. So keep an eye on the headlines.