Chinatown will be partying like its 4707 as it celebrates the Year of the Ox in the annual Lunar New Year Parade Sunday.
The colorful festivities are expected to draw a crowd of a few hundred thousand as the parade snakes through Downtown on Sun., Feb. 1 from noon – 3 p.m. The route will start at Hester and Mott Sts., move to Chatham Square, East Broadway and then Allen St. Artists and entertainers will be at a cultural festival throughout the day at the parade’s last stop on Grand and Chrystie Sts.
There will also be lion and dragon dances at Mott St. from noon to 5 p.m. next weekend on Sun., Feb. 8. The Lantern Festival will close the celebrations on Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. on Market St. between East Broadway and Henry St.
The new year began Monday with the traditional firecrackers, intended to ward off evil spirits. According to ancient Chinese horoscopes, Ox years tend to be stable. People born in the Year of the Ox, a group which includes President Obama, are said to be honest and charismatic.
— Candida L. Figueroa
