The Pasadena Senior Center celebrates the Year of the Fire Horse today with a traditional lion dance and martial arts demonstrations, marking a zodiac designation that occurs only once every 60 years.
The Cultural Thursday event, which begins at 2 p.m. at the center’s 85 E. Holly St. location, features Master Ken Hui and the Northern Shaolin Kung Fu Association. The Fire Horse last appeared in 1966. According to the Smithsonian Institution, 2026’s Lunar New Year — which began February 17 — ushered in this rare cycle, in which the horse, seventh animal of the Chinese zodiac, combines with the fire element in a pairing that repeats only every six decades.
Hui, a former JPL engineer who has also been identified as a grandmaster in Pasadena Now’s coverage of past events, has led his Northern Shaolin Kung Fu Association in performances at the Pasadena Senior Center’s Lunar New Year celebrations in previous years. In 2022, the group performed the lion dance for the center’s Year of the Tiger celebration, according to Pasadena Now.
The lion dance is a traditional performance dating back more than 2,000 years in Chinese culture, historically performed to honor the coming of spring and to bring good fortune in the new year.
The Pasadena Senior Center, a donor-supported nonprofit that does not receive local, state, or federal funding for operations, serves more than 10,000 older adults age 50 and older each year, according to the organization. The center draws members from across Pasadena and Altadena.
The event is free for Pasadena Senior Center members and $5 for nonmembers. Friends and family are welcome. Reservations were encouraged by February 26 and can be made online at PasadenaSeniorCenter.org or in person at the Welcome Desk. For more information, call (626) 795-4331. Validated parking is available at 171 N. Raymond Ave., and the Memorial Park Gold Line station is nearby at 125 E. Holly St.
Hui’s group is expected to demonstrate kung fu forms in addition to the lion dance, based on past performances at the center that have included tai chi, sword techniques, and individual kung fu styles, according to Pasadena Now’s coverage of the 2022 event.
