NYC & LA Lunar New Year | Chinese New Year 2015

Ring in the Year of the Sheep by exploring the numerous Chinese New Year happenings offered in New York! Chinatown hosts the annual Lunar New Year Parade & Festival, where crowds gather to enjoy food vendors, traditional lion and dragon dances, vibrant floats and multicolored confetti for days. In addition to festive celebrations occurring across the boroughs, learn about traditional Chinese arts and culture by attending one of the calligraphy workshops at Flushing Town Hall. And, because we know you’ll get hungry, be sure to check out some of the best Chinese restaurants in New York.

Celebrated for 15 days, the Lunar, or Chinese, New Year marks the beginning of the new calendar and is a time Asian cultures honor deities and previous generations.

“It is celebrated as a family gathering,” said Dian Yu, executive director of the Flushing BID. “It is a time of reunion, thanksgiving and honoring ancestors as one great community.”

The highlight of each celebration in Queens is the Lunar New Year Parade in downtown Flushing.

Incorporating dozens of decorated floats, giant dragon figures on poles manipulated by dancers, marching bands and politicians, this year’s parade is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 21, starting at 11 a.m. at Union Street and 37th Avenue.

After the parade, spectators can head to the Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., for free children’s craft activities.

But you don’t have to wait to jump start the celebrations, many of which, get under way this weekend.

Once again Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., will serve as the unofficial Lunar New Year headquarters for the borough with performances, exhibitions and, new this year, a traditional holiday bazaar.

“We typically celebrate for about one month, bringing in an exhibition, art-making workshops and varied performances for the public, schoolchildren and families to honor the Lunar New Year,” said Ellen Kodadek, executive and artistic director, Flushing Town Hall. “This year for the first time we are presenting a traditional Chinese temple bazaar with performances, workshops, vendors and food.”

Other events planned for Flushing Town Hall include a performance of the play, “Film Chinois,” by the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, Feb. 15; a presentation of traditional and contemporary Asian choreography by dance troupe Dancing Wind, Feb. 20; a sampler of Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and other national dances, Feb. 22; an exhibition, along with a demonstration, by two master calligraphers, also Feb. 22; and a concert of traditional Chinese folk music, accompanied by dance and acrobatic stunts, by EastRiver Ensemble, Feb. 28.

On Sunday, Feb. 15, the celebration shifts to Flushing Meadows Corona Park and the Queens Museum, where the New York Chinese Cultural Center hosts its “Lunar New Year Bash — The Year of the Goat.”

The program, which runs from 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., includes costumed performers presenting dances from China’s various regions and ethnic groups. Museum visitors can also take part in a Chinese paper cutting demonstration and take home their own creation of this 15,000-year-old folk art form.

Although the Lunar New Year is often referred to as the Chinese New Year, the holiday is not limited to China.

The Vietnamese celebrate Tét. In Korea the holiday is called Seoinal. And in the mountainous regions of Tibet the celebration goes by the name Losar — made up of the Tibetan words for year, lo, and new, sar.

At Astoria’s Spanish Center, 41-01 Broadway, take part in a traditional Tibetan Losar celebration Feb. 22.

February 19th, 2015 will mark Chinese New Year’s Day in The Year of the Ram. The Ram, being the most Artistic of the zodiac animals, heralds a year of creative potential and energy. Lunar New Year, also called Spring Festival, is the most important holiday in Asia and for Asian Americans abroad. Los Angeles boasts one of the most diverse Asian populations in the world and LA Chinatown hosts the oldest and most recognized New Years celebration in America, drawing more than 150,000 for festivities throughout the month of February.

LA Chinatown kicks off the Year of the Ram at Thien Hau Temple (750 Yale Street) in a rich cultural and historical celebration on Chinese New Year Eve. Attendees can participate in traditional incense burning, make offerings to deities, watch dramatic lion dances, and witness 500,000 firecrackers lit by the 2105 Miss Chinatown Queen and Court at one of Los Angeles’s grandest temples. This ceremony takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 18th 11:00pm – Midnight.

The celebration continues through Saturday, Feb. 21st, with the 116th Annual Golden Dragon Parade, the oldest parade of its kind in America, and Chinese New Year Festival. Cheer on the spectacular floats, decked-out cars, dancers and bands as they parade through the heart of Chinatown with Grand Marshal Sheriff Jim McDonnell. The parade starts at 1:00pm.

The Chinese New Year Festival runs all day noon-8:00pm with Chinese acrobats, martial arts, children’s activities and hands-on cultural workshops. Yarn Bombing will host a special community engagement craft workshop to build a giant sheep from individual pompoms in honor of this year’s zodiac animal. Taste a bite of Chinatown with traditional Chinese cuisine offered at many Chinatown restaurants, or street food and snacks offered by some of LA’s hottest gourmet food trucks. There will also be a curated Craft Beer Garden featuring local Southern California breweries. New for this year, the Culinary Stage will feature a special live edition of Cutthroat Chinatown with Chef Jet Tila.

Always popular, the 2015 LA Chinatown Firecracker 5/10K Run/Walk and Day ‘n’ Night Festival follows on February 28 – March 1st, 2015. The weekend features events for everyone, from a Kiddie Run, to 5/10K Runs, to Bike Rides.