China News Service, February 14. According to the US "World Daily" report, before the first month of the lunar calendar, the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year in Manhattan's Chinatown, New York, United States is still undiminished.
On the 12th, more than ten lion dance teams with different shapes took to the streets of Chinatown, performing in front of various stores according to tradition, and entering the stores to ask for red envelopes, pushing Chinatown's "Super Saturday" to a climax.
Before 10 a.m. that day, the lion dance team was ready to go out on the street. From 11:00, after the police from the Fifth Division of the City Police in charge of Chinatown dispatched to block the street, the lion dance team was on Mott Street (Mott St.) and Elizabeth Street (Elizabeth Street). .), Hester St. and Mulberry St. and other Chinatown streets were crowded with people, and people watched the lion dance troupes, and the deafening sound of gongs and drums resounded throughout China. port.
The lion dance troupes performed performances in front of various stores along the street, and then walked into the store to ask for red envelopes for New Year's greetings. The store has already prepared dozens of red envelopes to welcome the lion-awakening team and make a good luck for the prosperity of the New Year's business.
The people stopped outside the store to watch, and took pictures with the lions, and many Chinese people also offered red envelopes.
Happy people at the new restaurant on Mulberry Street said that the lion dance is a Chinese tradition to ask for red envelopes. During the event, the flow of people in Chinatown has increased a lot than usual. After the event, many people will go to restaurants to eat and go shopping. The background is even better.
The non-profit organization "Think! Chinatown" also invited a lion dance team to perform this year. Director Kwong Haiyin said that "Super Saturday" has been a tradition over the years, but now it is more like the community's vision for future life; A pre-pandemic life is the common aspiration of all.
It is reported that as early as half a century ago, Chinatown held a lion dance day on the first Sunday after the first day of the new year. However, in the past decade or so, because the Chinese New Year parade was held on Sunday, it was moved to Saturday. ; And because the Lion Dance Day is close to the Super Bowl held on Sunday, it is called "Super Saturday", and each Lions team can get at least thousands of dollars in red envelopes on that day. The team focuses on the opportunity to showcase each year.
(Zhang Chen)