Revelers gathered in New York for the city’s annual Lunar New Year parade. Partygoers braved the rain to celebrate the Year of the Dog. Musicians and dancers snaked their way through the crowded streets of Manhattan’s Chinatown.

CGTN’s Nick Harper reports.
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Four-legged friends and their two-legged companions welcomed the Year of the Dog. It’s a spectacle for tourists and locals alike, bringing together communities and fostering the sense of multiculturalism New York is famous for.

Traditional lion dancers mixed with the crowds, while singers performed. All waved goodbye to the old year and welcomed the new year.

“We usually have around half a million people come out from the tri-state area, tourists coming from all over the world,” according to Christopher Tin of Better Chinatown. “It’s super exciting to bring Chinese New Year festivities to New York.”

The festivities are a time to come together, and for New York’s Chinese community – one of the largest in America – it’s a chance to show the city what the Lunar New Year is all about.

Earlier in the day, lion dancers went door-to-door through Chinatown. A visit is considered an auspicious start to the New Year, bringing success for the months ahead.

“It could be anything from schools, to restaurants to shopkeepers, grocers,” lion dance team member Harold Moy said. “We bring them good luck and prosperity in their businesses.”

Dogs, dragons and lions. All of them helping to warm the winter crowds and dance away the rain.