The promise of a peaceful year - 1st February 2023

Millions are ringing in the Lunar New Year across the globe and given the pandemic which resulted in the celebration's three year hiatus, the festivities are being welcomed with great joy.

Wallace Lee sits on the planning committee for the parade in Washington DC.

Wallace Lee: "So, this is our first year back. So we're pretty happy about that. Don't have as many groups, we still have 40 groups which is pretty large. Back before Covid, we had at least 60, I think close to 60 groups I think at one point."

Though the treasured cultural icons such as dragons, firecrackers, traditional dances and martial arts were on parade, revellers were more thrilled at the opportunity to gather as a community.

Law student Justin Chuang reflects on this.

Justin Chuang: "So I, I grew up in Southern California, so I'm expecting a lot of stuff that would happen around me when I was a kid, right? Good food, seeing a lot of my community members especially, right? It's kind of like my family, a little bit."

With the Lunar New Year being China's foremost holiday, the country experiences the world's largest human migration. However, with this mass movement of people comes a surge in Covid cases which has led to limited public festivities, as people retreated indoors with their families.

Similarly in Washington DC, the emphasis was also on community and togetherness as city Mayor Muriel Bowser condemned the surge in hate crimes against the Asian community, which had been blamed for the spread of Covid 19.

Muriel Bowser: "It is important for us to not only celebrate where we are, to look back over the last couple of years and congratulate ourselves for our resilience, for sticking with our neighbours, for standing up against Asian hate anywhere we see it, anywhere we hear it, any place in the world."

According to the Chinese zodiac system, this year's the Year of the Rabbit which heralds a time of tranquillity and gentleness accompanied by quiet reflection. Nevertheless, before the calm comes the cacophony of celebration.