It's the Year of the Rabbit - 1st February 2023

Across the world communities gathered to celebrate the Lunar New Year. With festivities cancelled over the last three years due to the pandemic, there's added excitement.

Wallace Lee's part of the planning committee for the celebrations 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."

The Lunar New Year parade in the city was filled with dragons and firecrackers alongside traditional dances and martial arts performances but it's the chance to celebrate together as a community that's the highlight for many, like Justin Chuang.

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."

The Lunar New Year holiday's the most important in China, which sees people travelling back to their families. However, due to a sharp rise in Covid cases in the country, there were fewer public displays of celebration, as people opted to spend time with their families indoors.

Community and togetherness were important themes also when Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser addressed the festive crowds. With Covid 19's origins believed to have been in China, the US had seen a rise in hate crime against Asians.

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."

In the Chinese horoscope system, we're now entering the Year of the Rabbit. According to Chinese tradition, this signifies a calm and gentle year, with the focus being on quietness and contemplation, but before that, it's time to be festive.