D.C. Celebrates the Chinese Year of the Snake (photos)


In 2013, on the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on Feb. 10 and is the Year of the Snake. Tens of thousands turned out on Sunday, Feb. 10, in Chinatown in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Chinese New Year which is the lunar year 4711 on the Chinese calendar. During this important celebration in East Asian culture, it is traditional to wear red, meant to ward off evil spirits. The event featured a parade through Chinatown and the traditional Chinese Lion and Dragon Dances. On hand were Mayor Vincent Gray, Council members Jack Evans, Tommy Wells and Muriel Bowser, along with Shadow Senator Paul Strauss. Leading the festivities were Rita Lee, chair of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, and Ambassador Pu-tsung King, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.

View our photographs of the parade by clicking on the photo icons below.

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