Fort Bend County Libraries will host a Lunar New Year Celebration, celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, with free activities and crafts for families with children of all ages.

Dancing lions from the Houston Lion Kings Dragon & Lion Dance Sports Association will kick off the celebration in the lobby of the library. Visitors may join in playing Cai Deng Mi, or “Guessing the Lantern’s Riddle,” and win a prize if the answer is correct.

Visitors will also have an opportunity to learn about the art of Chinese calligraphy. Peter Maa, a volunteer instructor at the T.E. Harman Center in Sugar Land, will demonstrate the art of calligraphy by writing names in Chinese.

A “Chinese Calligraphy for Beginners” workshop will begin at 2:00 pm, in the Meeting Room of the library. Reservations are required for this class, which will be taught by Junrui Garcia, Director of Art Green Island. Garcia will explain why and how some cultures value handwriting and calligraphy. She will demonstrate how daily writing can be transformed into calligraphy art, whether it is in English, Chinese, or any other language.

Volunteers from the Vietnamese Culture & Science Association, a nonprofit organization based in Houston, will demonstrate how to make “li xi” (red envelopes), which are traditionally given on the first day of the Lunar New Year for good luck.

Children may visit the library’s Youth Department, where they can make their own paper lantern to take home with them.