Photos Courtesy various sources
Thousands of celebrants turned out in downtown Flushing to welcome the Lunar New Year of 4607 with a parade, complete with “flying dragons,” lion dancers, drums, and gongs – followed by the traditional fusillade of fireworks to ward off evil.
The annual event, which took place on Saturday, February 20, has become one of the largest demonstrations of its kind in the western hemisphere and is the highpoint of Flushing’s month long celebration of the year of the Golden (White Metal) Tiger.
In addition to New Year’s sales and promotions at numerous stores and restaurants, artistic exhibitions continue through the end of February at Flushing Town Hall.
Unlike last year’s brutal cold, temperatures rose into the balmy 40s – putting smiles on the faces of the local politicians who marched en masse behind a single congratulatory banner. Marching were U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who spoke to the parade attendees in Mandarin, which she learned in college, State Senators Frank Padavan and Toby Stavisky, Assemblymembers Michael Den Dekker and Grace Meng, City Councilmember Peter Koo and Flushing’s own – City Comptroller John Liu.
