Lunar New Year in Washington DC - 1st February 2023

People around the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year. Covid had stopped celebrations for three years, so this year, people are excited.

Wallace Lee organises the Washington DC celebrations.

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 colourful parade had dragons, traditional dances and martial arts. But being together as a community was the most important thing for people. Justin Chuang enjoys the community spirit.

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."

Lunar New Year is China's biggest holiday, when millions of people visit their families. But Covid cases are rising there. Many people prefer to stay safe indoors with their families.

In the US, celebrating as a community was the focus. Some people blamed the Asian community for Covid 19. Hate crimes against Asian people increased. Washington DC's Mayor Muriel Bowser spoke against this.

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 calendar, this is the Year of the Rabbit, which means a calm and peaceful year. It's a time for people to think about life. But first, it's time for celebration.