The Year of the Tiger begins this weekend, and Chinatown is ready to celebrate with flowers, lion dances and fireworks.
The Lunar New Year Flower Festival will kick off the festivities in Sara D. Roosevelt Park with cultural shows, folk artists, and, of course, flowers. The festival will be held in the park at Canal and Chrystie Sts. on Fri., Feb. 12 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sat., Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lunar New Year 4708 officially begins on Sun., Feb. 14, with a firecracker ceremony in Columbus Park between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The ceremony will also include traditional and contemporary singing and dancing performances.
The following Sun., Feb. 21, the 11th annual parade through Chinatown will start at 11:30 a.m. near the corner of Canal and Mott Sts. and romp around the surrounding area for several hours. The parade will feature floats, marching bands, lion and dragon dances, acrobats and magicians and is expected to attract thousands of people.
People born in the Year of the Tiger (1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) are said to be adventurous and courageous but may be prone to short tempers.
