25 January 2012

Gong Xi Fa Cai! NYC Chinatown 2012



For the first time since I was a kid, I was able to check out the Chinese New Year celebration in New York City.  It didn't quite live up to my memory, but I have a feeling that we missed the best part of it.  There was already confetti all over the ground.  Next year we'll have to go check things out earlier in the day.  I must have gotten bad information about the start times of the events.


We wandered around Chinatown for a while but didn't see much.  At first, we only found one lonely dragon dancer.


Then, we passed through the Roosevelt Park area.  There were some booths set up selling Chinese New Year decorations.  There was also a stage where performers were singing traditional Chinese songs.  I don't understand Mandarin, so I have no idea what the songs meant, but it sounded pleasant.


We were about to leave Chinatown when we stumbled onto Mott Street.  It seems as though that's where all the fun was.  The place was packed with crowds of people shooting off tubes of confetti and generally having a good time.




Pretty sure this little girl, her brother (I assume) and her mother were from Singapore,
judging by the accent, which was interesting, having lived there.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure we missed most of the festivities due to bad information, but it was still a lot of fun to go down to Chinatown and look around for a few hours.  We managed to get in some shopping while we were there too!

For more pictures, click here.
Written By at 7:59 PM
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2 Responses:

  1. did you slip paper money into the lion's mouth? Lol, they're not performing purely for entertainment you know.

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    1. In Singapore, I saw the dragons get "fed" vegetables and fruit, as well as cash, during Grand Opening ceremonies for stores and other businesses. I don't recall ever going to see the CNY parade in Singapore, so I don't know about the customs during CNY there.

      Here, I didn't see anyone giving the dragons anything to "eat". I think the dragons are sponsored by different Chinese organizations here in NYC, like the Golden Lion Club, for example. I took a photo of their flags. I could be wrong, though.

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