The National Zoo on Sunday will announce the name of the giant panda cub born in August. The ceremony is open to the public, who helped choose the name in an online poll. No reservations are required, but the zoo says space is “extremely limited.”
The date of December 1 was decided by Chinese tradition, which celebrates the name of a new life on the 100th day since birth. The female panda was born on August 23. The chosen name will appear in English and Chinese on scrolls hanging from a 12-foot arch.
The name selection was put to the public in an online vote. The zoo said more than 123,000 votes have been cast for one or the other of five proposed names: Bao Bao, Ling Hua, Long Yun, Mulan, and Zhen Bao. The panda cub itself will not make its first public appearance until January.
Here’s what you need to know if you plan to attend the naming ceremony:
Time: 1 PM
Where: Panda Plaza, between bus parking lot and parking lot B
Who: Scheduled participants are Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Wayne Clough; National Zoo director Dennis Kelly; Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai; and, from the State Department, Kerri-Ann Jones, the assistant secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. A video message from First Lady Michelle Obama is planned.
Additionally: There will be entertainment and food provided by the Chinese Embassy.
The Public Is Invited to Attend the Panda Cub Naming Ceremony on Sunday
The National Zoo on Sunday will announce the name of the giant panda cub born in August. The ceremony is open to the public, who helped choose the name in an online poll. No reservations are required, but the zoo says space is “extremely limited.”
The date of December 1 was decided by Chinese tradition, which celebrates the name of a new life on the 100th day since birth. The female panda was born on August 23. The chosen name will appear in English and Chinese on scrolls hanging from a 12-foot arch.
The name selection was put to the public in an online vote. The zoo said more than 123,000 votes have been cast for one or the other of five proposed names: Bao Bao, Ling Hua, Long Yun, Mulan, and Zhen Bao. The panda cub itself will not make its first public appearance until January.
Here’s what you need to know if you plan to attend the naming ceremony:
Time: 1 PM
Where: Panda Plaza, between bus parking lot and parking lot B
Who: Scheduled participants are Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Wayne Clough; National Zoo director Dennis Kelly; Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai; and, from the State Department, Kerri-Ann Jones, the assistant secretary of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. A video message from First Lady Michelle Obama is planned.
Additionally: There will be entertainment and food provided by the Chinese Embassy.
Must-Reads
October 2016: Let’s Go Out for Breakfast
More from News & Politics
The Washington Post Now Publishes Something Every Minute
Poll: Only 2 Percent of Voters Want Nationals to Win the World Series
66 Cent Coffee At Dunkin’ Donuts For National Coffee Day
The Word “Rigged” Is Having a Moment
DC Newsrooms’ Debate-Night Food, Ranked
If You Only See One Room at the New NGA East Building, Make It This One
This DC Illustrator’s Comics Are So Freaking Relatable
This Couple Is Having an Easier Time Selling Guns Than Coffee
Most Popular
Two Supremely Dapper Grooms Star in a Harlem Renaissance Wedding Shoot at the Ritz-Carlton
100 Very Best Restaurants
The Best First Date Bars in DC
The Best Cheap Restaurants in Washington, DC
DC is Getting an All-Male Burlesque Brunch