At the beginning of May each year, New York wakes from its winter hibernation. This is the time when the various nationalities hold activities, and ethnic sentimentality blossoms. Parades are one excellent way in which people can affirm their cultural identity and create group unity.

As a guest in New York, I attended the annual Puerto Rico day parade. Naturally I didn't want to miss this opportunity to better understand Puerto Rican culture. It is necessary to get up early to get a good place along the parade route, in order to get the full enjoyment out of the festivities. The parade was started by New Yorkers of Puerto Rican ancestry. Today, people of Puerto Rican ancestry from all across the United States come to New York to join in. Also, since Puerto Rico is a Spanish-speaking land, other Spanish speakers also come to enthusiastically participate. Thus the number of groups in the parade has increased year by year. This giant annual Puerto Rico Day parade seems to bring the early summer warmth of New York to a fever pitch.

The youth group in the picture is only one small part of the enormous event. People from Puerto Rico love music and dance, and even three or four-year-old little girls can really swing! Look carefully at this group of pretty young ladies. Their skin color runs the gamut from black to white to yellow, and their hair is black, brown or blond. This is because the people of Puerto Rico have African and European ancestry.

By the way, behind the young women is the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. The red banner indicates the re-opening of the Chinese art hall. This is the same place that made such a hit last year when it displayed precious works of art from the National Palace Museum in Taipei.

In the other photo, a person wearing a red mask displays another aspect of Puerto Rican culture, in which red represents the spirit of joy. Recently scholars studying the cultures of Latin America and Africa have noted that, although the people of these two continents have their own cultural traditions, they are similar in their fondness for, and in the symbolic meaning they attribute to, the color red.

Which makes me think: Is this not very similar to the Chinese tradition? Do not Chinese paste up giant red "double happiness" characters at weddings, and dress in red and gold? When a son is born, people are offered red eggs, and at the lunar new year gifts of money are given out in red envelopes, while auspicious couplets are written on red paper. Even today, the expression for a bull market in Chinese is "long on red."

Finally, please note that the flags of Puerto Rico, the United States, and the Republic of China have something in common. Just like the people of all colors and types that crowd the streets of New York to watch the parade, everyone hopes to see some familiar symbols in other cultures.

From the rich and varied culture of Puerto Rico, I have learned something of the common joy all human beings share in celebration, and of the passion for life. Next year, when the early summer sun again shines its light on New York, I will come back, and share this celebration with the people of Puerto Rican ancestry.

p.55

The beauty of these young people of Puerto Rican ancestry is mirrored in their backdrop, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, home to the recent exhibit of rare works from Taipei's National Palace Museum.

p.55

The Puerto Rican Spirit of Joy attracted a lot of attention from parade-goers.

The Puerto Rican Spirit of Joy attracted a lot of attention from parade-goers.