Lunar New Year

Imports to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach fell in March, partly because of the Lunar New Year holiday, which slows production -- and exports -- in many Asian countries.  The Port of Los Angeles reported Monday that March imports fell 28.7% from the same month last year, dropping to 231,396 containers. Exports also dropped in March from a year earlier. The port handled 154,428 outgoing containers last month -- a 17.9% drop. Combined, overall container volume dropped nearly 23% in March compared with a year earlier.

Warren Buffett, ukulele-strumming folk singer? The billionaire investor debuted his musical chops just in time for the Year of the Dragon, performing “I've Been Working on the Railroad” for a Chinese television station on the first day of the Lunar New Year. In the clip, the Oracle of Omaha is clad in a simple sweater and backed by a large model railroad set as he croons in a slighty gruff voice. At the end of his set, the Berkshire Hathaway chairman waves and says “xie xie,” or “thank you” in Mandarin.

There's so much for Helen Hoang to do. She must clean the clutter from her house, avoid arguments at all costs, prepare stacks of lucky red envelopes filled with crisp dollar bills to share with friends and foes alike. And, by all means, she must visit Mai Pham, her fortuneteller of choice. As with thousands of others in immigrant communities where the Lunar New Year is celebrated, Hoang plots her life partially on the predictions of an astrologer - weddings, business decisions, real estate transactions, when she might expect a grandchild.

There's so much for Helen Hoang to do. She must clean the clutter from her house, avoid arguments at all costs, prepare stacks of lucky red envelopes filled with crisp dollar bills to share with friends and foes alike. And, by all means, she must visit Mai Pham, her fortuneteller of choice. As with thousands of others in immigrant communities where the Lunar New Year is celebrated, Hoang plots her life partially on the predictions of an astrologer - weddings, business decisions, real estate transactions, when she might expect a grandchild.

At her store in Chinatown, Tracy Tieu replaces red and green Christmas trinkets with red and gold Lunar New Year decorations as she greets shoppers fresh from Las Vegas. A mother strokes a jade dragon leaping from a dark wood emblem. A man and his wife unfurl scrolls bearing symbols of wealth. A student buys assorted little Buddhas, lining them up by belly size. Inside the shop, Wing Ha Hing Gifts & Arts, Asian travelers this past weekend talk about how many aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents they expect to host at noisy family gatherings.

Painter Wei Haibin is carefully weighing every purchase as he heads home to Hebei province for China's biggest family holiday -- a time when the economy typically enjoys a bounce. "The total that I spend buying things for the Lunar New Year will be about half of what I spent last year," he said. "Though I will probably spend the same amount buying gifts for family and friends in my hometown because it's a matter of face, I will be really tight on the things I buy for myself."

The city that gave birth to Little Saigon is unable to help pay for the annual Tet parade and is asking residents to quickly ramp up a fundraising effort to save an event marking the Lunar New Year. A colorful pageant that draws tens of thousands, the parade dates back nearly 30 years in Westminster. It has been one of the enduring city celebrations since Vietnamese refugees began to flock here after the fall of Saigon in 1975. The event was discontinued after parade organizers lost money in 2004 but was revived four years later when the city again infused it with cash.

Open your Euro-American minds. Vietnamese Americans celebrate Lunar New Year as well. This is the Year of the Water Buffalo. HOWARD BALE Los Angeles

Imports to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach fell in March, partly because of the Lunar New Year holiday, which slows production -- and exports -- in many Asian countries.  The Port of Los Angeles reported Monday that March imports fell 28.7% from the same month last year, dropping to 231,396 containers. Exports also dropped in March from a year earlier. The port handled 154,428 outgoing containers last month -- a 17.9% drop. Combined, overall container volume dropped nearly 23% in March compared with a year earlier.

The city that gave birth to Little Saigon is unable to help pay for the annual Tet parade and is asking residents to quickly ramp up a fundraising effort to save an event marking the Lunar New Year. A colorful pageant that draws tens of thousands, the parade dates back nearly 30 years in Westminster. It has been one of the enduring city celebrations since Vietnamese refugees began to flock here after the fall of Saigon in 1975. The event was discontinued after parade organizers lost money in 2004 but was revived four years later when the city again infused it with cash.

At her store in Chinatown, Tracy Tieu replaces red and green Christmas trinkets with red and gold Lunar New Year decorations as she greets shoppers fresh from Las Vegas. A mother strokes a jade dragon leaping from a dark wood emblem. A man and his wife unfurl scrolls bearing symbols of wealth. A student buys assorted little Buddhas, lining them up by belly size. Inside the shop, Wing Ha Hing Gifts & Arts, Asian travelers this past weekend talk about how many aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents they expect to host at noisy family gatherings.

The rain poured steadily and the sky was gray. But that didn't stop thousands of visitors from hiking up the steps of the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights to welcome the lunar new year. "Prosperity flows with water," said Liang Zhu of El Monte, quoting a Chinese proverb. "It's so rare that it rains on the first of the new year. It's lucky. " Zhu, along with his wife, brother and sister-in-law, pushed up against a stone railing in a sculpture garden where people cheerfully threw coins over the edge, trying to hit a small bell.

Warren Buffett, ukulele-strumming folk singer? The billionaire investor debuted his musical chops just in time for the Year of the Dragon, performing “I've Been Working on the Railroad” for a Chinese television station on the first day of the Lunar New Year. In the clip, the Oracle of Omaha is clad in a simple sweater and backed by a large model railroad set as he croons in a slighty gruff voice. At the end of his set, the Berkshire Hathaway chairman waves and says “xie xie,” or “thank you” in Mandarin.

Twenty hours on a train. Standing-room only. No access to a bathroom. The Chinese have no shortage of indignities to complain about when it comes to traveling home on the nation's overburdened rail network come spring festival season. But it's the country's new online train ticketing system that has sparked the indignation of the traveling masses in the current run-up to the Year of the Dragon. Introduced several months ago in an effort to reduce long ticket queues, the website has instead buckled under the annual Lunar New Year crush as an estimated 250 million Chinese scramble to get home before the national holiday kicks off Monday.

The Chinese love of pyrotechnics and the country's winter drought have proved a combustible combination for Lunar New Year holiday celebrations, which have been ushered in by a wave of mostly small fires. The Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday reported 11,800 fires nationwide during the weeklong holiday, up from 7,480 the previous year, according to the official New China News Agency. In the parched capital of Beijing alone, there were 194 fires, almost double the number last year.

This week's subject: Vietnam The most important holiday in Vietnam is Tet, the Lunar New Year. This is a time to honor one's ancestors and celebrate new beginnings by dressing up, eating special foods and giving red money envelopes for luck. Explore Vietnam's rich culture and history through the direct links on The Times' Launch Point Web site. Go to: http://www.latimes.com/launch/

A small ferry overloaded with holiday shoppers sank in central Vietnam, killing at least 40 people ahead of the traditional Lunar New Year. At least 36 passengers survived the sinking, a few by swimming to shore and others plucked by rescuers from the Gianh river in Quang Binh province, local police chief Phan Thanh Ha said. The boat's owner and captain were detained for questioning, Ha said. An initial investigation showed the wooden boat was overloaded with nearly 80 people, though it was designed to carry only 12.

The rabbit and the cat ruled Chinatown on Saturday as hundreds of people from Asian communities throughout the Los Angeles area rang in the lunar new year at the district's annual Golden Dragon Parade and Festival. Smoke curled from the gatekeeper dragons on North Broadway, and beyond them, many of the small shops, restaurants and sidewalks of Hill Street and Broadway were jam-packed. By noon the streets were closed off. Many children threw party snappers on the ground and chased confetti that was shot up in the air. The event, sponsored by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, is expected to draw huge crowds throughout the weekend, said board member Y.H. Yeung.

This weekend is party time and not just because it's Super Bowl weekend. For Southern California's many Asian communities, it's the annual celebration of the Lunar New Year. While L.A.'s Chinatown has long been the focus of New Year celebrations, newer Asian communities are also forging their identities with their own unique celebrations. For the Vietnamese community, it's the Year of the Cat (the Chinese are celebrating the Year of the Rabbit), and in Garden Grove the Vietnamese community will hold its annual three-day Tet festival (full name, Tet Nguyen Dan, which translates to "Feast of the First Morning")