How Does New York Celebrate The Lunar New Year? 纽约春节怎么过？
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The Lunar New Year, also known in China as the Spring Festival, is one of the most important celebrations to Chinese culture.
CBS2's Elle McLogan headed to Manhattan's Chinatown to see how New York celebrates the holiday.
"This year, the Year of the Dog has everyone excited," said Nancy Yao Maasbach, President of the Museum of Chinese in America. "It's really a family gathering. It's kind of like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and all different components mixed in together."
Elle spoke with a group of children who honor the festival with their families at the temple, where they pray for their ancestors. They also wear red and yellow, "colors to scare away the evil spirits."
"People will dress up like dragons and perform the dragon dance," explained one Chinatown local.
At the restaurant Spicy Village, kitchen staff prepared noodles, a staple food eaten during Spring Festival as a symbol of longevity.
According to Maasbach, the Lunar New Year celebration is gaining influence across the New York area.
"This is the third year that New York City has made it a public school holiday, and that's trickled into other areas in the tri-state, so I think there's a lot more excitement that the Lunar New Year festivities [are] for everyone, and it's a real hallmark of being part of this country."
Here are some spots Elle checked out while checking out the festivities:
GTW Tea & Water, Inc.
301 Grand Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 475-6511
Museum of Chinese in America
215 Centre Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 619-4785
Spicy Village
68 Forsyth Street B
New York, NY 10002
(212) 625-8299
What's something few people know about but everybody should? Whatever it is, Elle McLogan is tracking it down on The Dig. Join her hunt for treasures hidden across our area. Follow Elle on Twitter and Instagram.
