East met West on Sunday for a super kickoff of the Chinese New Year.

At the Sesame Inn in Mt. Lebanon and the Silk Road Chinese Restaurant in Whitehall, the doors closed early on Super Bowl Sunday so friends and family of the owners could begin celebrating the Year of the Rat.

And, just maybe sneak in a peek at the Super Bowl.

The Asian culture is alive and well in the South Hills on this first day of the Chinese year 4706.

George Lee, 55, co-owner of the Sesame Inn, called family yesterday. Due to the time differential, yesterday was actually New Year's Day in China.

He recalled that as a boy in Taiwan, on this day he would receive the traditional "red envelope,'' which contained money from his parents. The gesture is thought to be symbolic of the promise of good fortune.

The restaurant's manager, Danny Ng, 50, who was born in Hong Kong, said adhering to tradition on "the biggest holiday of the year'' is a way to connect with ancestors.

"It feels like a family reunion,'' he said.

He decorated his Upper St. Clair home with red placards with the Chinese message: "Good luck for the New Year.''

Red symbolizes safety and health, he said.

The Year of the Rat recurs every 12th year as it is one of 12 animals in the Chinese Calendar. The cycle of those animals, in order, is: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.

At the Ruby Chinese Restaurant in Pleasant Hills, pigs feet with mushrooms and steamed chicken will be served today in celebration of the New Year.

Wing Chan, of Ross, whose parents own the restaurant, recalled visiting relatives in Hong Kong on New Year's Day as a child.

Besides receiving money from her parents, married couples also gave her red envelopes containing lesser amounts.

Red envelopes were also plentiful at the Silk Road, where co-owner Thuy Lieu, of Collier, distributed them to all employees on Feb. 3 "like a Christmas bonus,'' she said.

As a child in Vietnam in the 1980s, she recalled New Year's Day celebrations featured parades, fireworks, and dragon dances.

Watermelons, which symbolized strength and health, were prominently displayed in foyers with "Happy New Year'' signs.

Incense from burning candles represented ancestors' spirits.

Today, she will visit family and friends, eat fresh fruit, and pray for good health.

At the Oriental Star Dance School, youngsters performed shows last weekend in Oakland in celebration of the New Year.

Wendy Wang, 17, a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School, performed a solo "light dance,'' in which she held candles as part of an ethnic dance which originated in Xinjiang.

Born in China, she said she enjoys keeping the Chinese traditions alive for herself.

As she does every New Year, school founder Yanlai Wu will telephone family in China, dine on Chinese-style dumplings filled with pork, and wear a traditional red dress, called a chi-pao, for luck.

Ms. Wu, of Mt. Lebanon, founded the Downtown school in 2004 "to keep Chinese dances alive.''

She said it is another way to promote Asian culture.

That culture thrives in some South school districts.

Bethel Park is awaiting the arrival of Hattie Zhou, who will teach the semester-long "The China Experience'' to high school students.

The social studies class will offer an overview of Chinese history, culture, customs, and language phrases. Students will also be introduced to the ancient Chinese art of decorative handwriting.

Ms. Zhou will be the third teacher in the past six years to visit from the Xingzhi School, near Shanghai, with which the district has a sister-school relationship.

In Upper St. Clair, high school senior Tyler Lehman, 18, studied Chinese last year as an independent study. He will be studying the language again in a class to be taught by Xiaofang Ouyang, who arrived Jan. 4 from China.

"Chinese is one of the languages considered a critical language right now because of business, security, and its population of more than a billion people. The entire Pacific rim is important,'' said Deanna Baird, foreign language curriculum leader.

The district also offers distance-learning Chinese year-round through the A.W. Beattie Career Center in McCandless.

Tyler, who plans to major in East Asian studies in college, said his favorite part is drawing the intricate characters of the written language.

"It's fun and difficult at the same time,'' he said.