The Lunar New Year celebrations continued Saturday with a festival in Downtown Brooklyn’s Albee Square.
From the music to the traditional lion dancing, New Yorkers really got into the spirit. Over 100 people attended the event to ring in the Year of the Rabbit while they also watched some fun performances.
New York-based Choy Lay Fut Lion Dance Team performed music and dances that got the crowd going.
“It feels amazing. I myself have been doing this for over 30 years now. A lot goes into the preparation and training for this, year in, year out. It’s kind of like any other sport,” said lion dancer Brian Chin.
New Yorkers of all ages watched in awe and appreciated the team’s hard work as they celebrated the Year of the Rabbit.
“The Year of the Rabbit symbolizes longevity, peace, and prosperity and most important thing is it symbolizes optimism and hope,” Chin explained.
Downtown Brooklyn Partnerships organized the event which is also held each year to bring the Lunar New Year to life — Brooklyn style.
Revelers also received traditional red envelopes with small prizes and some even won gift cards to local Asian-owned restaurants.
Coordinators said it is a joy to bring everyone together and pointed out that the celebration was more important now than ever, especially after 11 people were killed while celebrating in Monterey Park, California.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated for 16 days and will wrap up with a lantern festival on Feb. 5.
