Chinese New Year Parade DC (2013)

In 2013, on the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on February 10th and is The Year of the Snake. Tens of thousands turned out on Sunday, Feb. 10 in Chinatown in Washington DC to celebrate the Chinese New Year which is the lunar year 4711 on the Chinese calendar. During this important celebration in the Asian culture, it is traditional to wear red, meant to ward off evil spirits. The event featured a parade thru Chinatown and the traditional Chinese Lion and Dragon Dances. On hand were D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, Councilmen Jack Evans, Tommy Wells and Muriel Bowser; and shadow Senator Paul Strauss. Leading the festivities were Rita Lee, Chair of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association and Amb. Pu-tsung King, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.