HAPPY YEAR OF THE PIG

Top two photos show two beautiful Chinese women at the Flower Market;

bottom photos are scenes at the Mott Street festivities.

The two-week celebration of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival commenced on February 16 with the Fourth Annual Flower Market in the heart of Chinatown. Flowers are believed to bring luck and prosperity in the New Year. The tradidtional Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival were the main festivities on February 18. That evening, I braved the cold weather and visited Mott Street, one of the original three streets that formed the core of Chinatown in the mid to late 1800’s. I joined a big crowd in watching a local lion dance troupe marching up and down the street and bowing to each store, market and restaurant, believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck for the year of the Pig. Since the Pig is the last animal in the 12-year cycle, 2007 is anticipated to be a year of "closure and completion." People born in the year of the pig are thought to be intellectually curious, honest, tolerant, loyal, and often make true friends for life.