News & Info
BDS rings in Year of the Ox at 2009 Tet Festival - 1/30/09
Saturday, January 24th 2009, the Vietnamese Community of Oregon held their annual celebration of the Lunar New Year "TET" at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.
This year, the snow welcomed the celebration to the new beginning of the ox ending the year of the rat. Through most Chinese or Vietnamese horoscopes, a person with the zodiac of an ox is someone who is unshakably patient, full of hard work, dependable, calm and modest. Ox people are capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint. Coincidently, our new president, Barack Obama, is born in the year of the ox, which means he will have a full year of hard work ahead of him.
Back to the celebration at the Oregon Convention Center, the Bureau of Development Services took part in the festival along with many other local organizations and businesses. Traditionally, red envelops would be given for good luck; however, in replacement, the BDS handed out yellow construction hats, candies and especially Vietnamese translation handouts regarding information on permits and inspections.
Thank you BDS Director, Paul L. Scarlett, for your on going support of this cultural festival. In addition, I would like to thank Lana Co from the Vietnamese Community of Oregon and BDS staff, Tiffani Penson, Mikal Shabazz and Maithy Do for helping to make this event successful.
For more information, please contact Andy Truong @ (503) 823-7361 or email truonga@ci.portland.or.us.