As the holiday season for most Westerners winds down, China’s most festive, fun, and important holiday is about to kick-off. The Chinese New Year, to be celebrated this year on January 23rd, is fast approaching. Where will you be celebrating the Year of the Dragon Lunar New Year? Here are some of the top three locales around the world.
First and foremost is Hong Kong. Despite their feelings of separateness from China itself, Hong Kong has one of the most extensive and spectacular Chinese New Year’s celebrations. It’s a fifteen day long party full of fireworks, dragons, decorations, music, and costumes. Not to be missed is the Tsim Sha Tusi East night parade. And even though there are firework displays all throughout the two weeks, if you were to see only one, it would have to be the display in Victoria Harbor, which happens on the second day of the festival.
Singapore is so exuberant in its celebration that the country officially takes off two days. Smaller festivities are happening in every major city and town, branching out from the local Chinatown. Some of the larger events include the Chingay Parade and the Hong Bao Carnival. The parade, colorful and jubilant, will include more than 7400 participants and performers. The carnival stretches along the Singapore riverside with more than 500 street vendors, art displays, and exclusive to this year, a Ninjing Pavilion.
Lastly, San Francisco in the USA has been celebrating the Chinese New Year for nearly 150 years – one of the longest running celebrations outside of Asia! Some activities to take note of are the colourful Chinese New Year Flower Fair and the buzzing Chinatown Community Street Fair. But the penultimate celebration is the last and most dazzling: the fantastic Chinese New Year Parade. Not only traditional, but the parade has been titled the best outside of China; it includes a 250 foot dragon manned by 100 men and women!
