Thousands celebrate AAPI cultures, Lunar New Year with APCC

By Irfan Shariff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Crowds packed the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC) on Saturday, Feb. 28. Now in its 28th year, APCC’s event presented Cambodia as its featured country and onstage, special guests, politicians, and other VIPs were ceremoniously draped with traditional kramas. The krama is a lightweight, woven fabric with a checkered pattern.

“It’s a nice way to show our culture,” said Kai Jon Dela Paz, as he described his black-and-white krama. Dela Paz, who is trying to build a career in photography and videography, volunteered at a prop photo booth which featured musical instruments and other items from Cambodian culture.

As a child, Dela Paz visited Cambodia and fondly remembers the beauty of the wildlife and the countryside. He said the krama is often worn as a scarf to keep cool in the Cambodian heat. Pointing at the mainstage where children were performing a temple dance, he said he was once a dancer at his temple in Tacoma.

When Patsy Surh O’Connell came to the U.S. as a student from Korea, she had no idea how much the power of community would change her life trajectory. She founded APCC 30 years ago and serves as its current president.

Each year, APCC picks a host country to “lift up their history, traditions…and their stories,” she said. “At the same time, we invite the wider community to experience their culture.” In her opening remarks, O’Connell also invited guests to experience more than just performances.

The lure of cultural events often involves gathering swag from vendor stalls. Local organizations from Sound Transit to the Pierce County Republican Party, craft booths to make lotus flowers or origami cranes, and shops from local artisans, or with clothing, accessories, and gifts transformed the exhibition hall into a maze of colorful sights–and merch. Of course, no event would be complete without a courtyard of food trucks.

Guests of varied ages and backgrounds came through the doors of the Tacoma Dome wearing their cultural garb. The event, which was marketed as free and family-friendly, drew thousands. Tirzah White and her friend learned about the event through Facebook. She liked the event but felt overwhelmed by the crowds.

“It’s powerful to see the community coming together, especially at this moment,” said Susana Setefano, who works in youth programming at APCC. She feels that vendors aren’t just here to promote their business but to show up for their community.

“There’s an energy as you walk in,” said Setefano, who called the event a result of “heart work.”

Author-illustrator Kiri Schwiet’s booth was near the demonstration stage, where lion dances and martial arts presentations performed throughout the day. She was there to sell her self-published children’s book, ABCs of Cambodia, which was funded through a Kickstarter campaign in 2023. This has been her largest event to date.

“It struck a chord with the Cambodian community,” said Schweit. She describes herself as a second-generation “Khmerican” and was inspired to write the book to “pass on her culture and heritage to little ones.”

Last year was “remarkable” for APCC, according to O’Connell. In addition to completing a 76-unit affordable housing project with the Low Income Housing Institute, APCC opened the doors to its brand-new facility in Tacoma. This year, APCC will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

APCC’s vision aims to “transform our community to become a dynamic, inclusive hub for diverse communities, cultures, and generations” and represent immigrants and cultures from 47 countries across Asia and the Pacific Islands.

“Immigrants are not just temporary guests but part of the fabric of America,” O’Connell reminds us.