As the Northeast braces for a historic winter storm this weekend, many people in warmer climates prepare to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year has been celebrated in China for over 5,000 years with a two week Spring festival. The culmination of the celebration in many cities, both in China and in the U.S., is the Chinese New Year parade.
In Washington, D.C., over 40,000 are expected to attend the Chinese New Year parade on Sunday, Feb. 10. The parade begins at 2 p.m. at 6th and I Street, NW.
The lunar year 4711 marks the Year of the Snake, whose character traits include intelligence, gracefulness and materialism.
Many other cities in the U.S. celebrate Chinese New Year with parades and festivities. As noted in this International Business Times article, Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco are some of the cities celebrating.
The parade in New York City is scheduled for Feb. 17; however, this weekend's Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival may be impacted by the winter weather.
The Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco has been named as one of the top ten parades in the world. This year's parade will be held on Feb. 23.
The Golden Dragon will be featured at the end of San Francisco's parade. The Golden Dragon is over 201 feet long and will be accompanied by over 600,000 firecrackers.
In Honolulu, a month of celebrating Chinatown comes to a quiet close this weekend. The local tradition is to stay home with family to see in the New Year.
Parades, festivals and celebrations have marked the past month in Hawaii. Last weekend's big event was the Night in Chinatown Parade.
Although this is the year of the snake, lions are always featured in Chinese New Year parades. The Chinese consider lions to be a symbol of good luck.
These photos were taken during Honolulu's Chinese New Year parade, courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law, who live in Honolulu.
In the photos, you will see lions and dragons dancing and being fed money for good luck. The lions and dragons dance to a drum beat with cymbals and fireworks. There are also vendor booths selling food and clothing set up in the streets.
Chinese New Year is a good time to celebrate with family and friends. Even if you don't live close to a large city with a parade, you can create your own celebration at home.
Kids love parades and you probably have costumes they can wear. Dress up as lions, dragons, bears and other animals. Feast on Chinese foods made at home or bring home take-out from one of the local Chinese restaurants.
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