The beginning of the lunar calendar is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts for everyone. To celebrate the start of the Year of the Rabbit, we’ve picked some gorgeous of the Lunar New Year celebrations that normally take place around the world. Let’s take a view of how Chinese New Year is celebrated around the world.
London
A day-long celebration runs throughout the West End and Chinatown before ending at the city’s most recognizable public space: Trafalgar Square. The festivities kick off with a ceremonial painting of dots on to the lion costume’s face to symbolize life-giving. Then there’s a full day of traditional dragon and flying lion dances, Chinese dance and music shows, martial arts displays, and, of course, a mouthwatering selection of street food.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles’s historic Golden Dragon Parade, which brings floats, marching bands, costumes, and crowds to North Broadway, is well over a hundred years old – making it even older than the Hollywood sign.
Sydney
Haymarket, home to Chinatown in central Sydney, will stage a lively carnival featuring live performances, lion dances and street food, attracting thousands of people. The paintings and works of art produced by the artists are also displayed in this area.
Vancouver
The Spring Festival Parade marks Lunar New Year with a celebration of Vancouver’s multiculturalism, starring a 3,000 large procession including reps from the Canadian city’s many communities. The half-century-old parade always draws huge crowds as it makes its way from Millennium Gate towards Chinatown, with traditional lion dances, cultural dance troupes, and martial arts performances.
Singapore’s Chingay
Every year Singapore hosts a kaleidoscopic street parade called Chingay, which translates as ‘the art of costume and masquerade’. Basically, it’s a massive street parade fitted out with dazzling floats, colorful costumes, live performances, intricate props, and pyrotechnics. ‘Wow’ is the only fitting response.
Tokyo
Technically a whole other city, Yokohama in Greater Tokyo is chaotic even without a global celebration like Lunar New Year. Throw that in the mix and you’ve got a riotous couple of weeks in Japan’s biggest Chinatown. The district hosts activities and installations including a massive countdown party, a parade of performers in historic costumes, and a traditional Cai Qing Lion Dance, where red envelopes called hongbao are fed to the lion to bring good luck in the coming year.
