On Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, the Fremont community came together to celebrate the Chinese New Year Spring Festival, an event dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging and cultural pride for the local Chinese community. Co-organized by Sihan Chen (Diana) and Alicia Haslip, the celebration served as a vital touchstone for those seeking a community space to honor the most important festival in the Chinese calendar.
The event, which drew 70 participants ranging from young children to elders, was held at Cottonwood Place, with the strong support of the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Fremont. Guests traveled from across the Bay Area, including San Jose, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto. The Assembly provided essential resources and logistical help. Special thanks to the management of Cottonwood Place for generously providing the community room for this gathering.
Youth inspiration
A distinctive feature of this celebration was its focus on interactive engagement. A highlight for many participants was the “Blessing Card” activity. Small groups gathered to discuss spiritual quotations, sharing personal reflections. One quotation read, “Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.”
“It was truly moving to see how quickly people connected,” noted the organizers. “The shared discussion led naturally into collaborative skits, where groups worked together to perform creative pieces based on the virtues they had just explored.”
The event was made even more uplifting by the contribution of local youths. Youth aged 12-15 who attend the local Bahá’í Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program prepared a special video skit for the occasion. Their presentation told the poignant story of five horses, each with different strengths, meeting at the edge of a long road. While each initially believed their individual strength was the most important, they soon discovered that no journey is completed alone.
Performances
The festival also showcased a vibrant array of cultural talent, including: Traditional Chinese Fan and Xinjiang dances, a mother-daughter “Shuiyue” dance and poetry recitations and vocal performances celebrating the arrival of the new year.
The program concluded with a unified group sing-along of “Tomorrow Will Be Better,” reflecting the shared hope of all in attendance.
