CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Chinatown's annual Lunar New Year Parade brought thousands of people to Wentworth Street Sunday to celebrate the occasion.
Legend has it that loud drums helped ward off a monster named Year, who would attack villagers at the beginning of each new year.
Susan Liu with the Chamber of Commerce said, along with loud noises, bright lights and the color red helped scare off the monster.
“We still celebrate that in a much lighthearted fashion, by wearing red, loud drumming and lion dancing and dragon dancing,” Liu said.
Besides dragons and drums, Chinatown's parade featured dancers, dancing, colorful floats, and marching groups.
Lunar New Year is a beloved celebration to many, including Yixuan Liu.
“I’m from China, so I’ve been celebrating this New Year for my whole life. It’s a great way for families to get together, friends to get together and community to get together to celebrate and…to remember their culture,” Liu said.
Isabelle Rodriguez said there was a lot she's enjoyed about this year's celebration. She said she loved looking at the dragons and learning about all the different high schools, not just from Chicago, but across the country that participated in the parade.
2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, and a date is already set for Chinatown's Lunar New Year celebration in 2024, which will be the Year of the Dragon.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
