My City By The Bay

The day was clear and the excitement building to experience the largest Chinese New Year parade outside of China.  The parade is an annual tradition and has taken place every year, rain or shine since the Gold Rush days.

This year was special because the parade was graced with the star of the show being the largest dragon in the history of the parade to strut his stuff on the streets of San Francisco.  At two hundred and thirty eight feet long the dragon was held by two teams of over forty people.  These teams have to be perfectly coordinated in order to keep the dragon dancing.  This year it boasts Eco friendly bulbs to light the dragon and took three weeks to build.  It was built in Hong Kong and shipped here to San Francisco where it was housed at the Embarcadero.  

There were over one hundred participating floats, marching bands and performers at this parade including Miss Chinatown 2009, dignitaries and city leaders.  The parade began at the foot of Market Street making it’s way to Union Square then ending in Chinatown where thousands of firecrackers lit up the streets and small alleyways.

The video above depicts the star of the show.  There were dozens of dragon dancers and lion dancers displaying their acrobatic talents during the parade.  As in all of the Chinese New Year celebrations, the colors were vibrant, vivid and illuminating.  Each float, costume and performer was intricately detailed with the finest attire and created with a sense of pride.  

Being both here in San Francisco and Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year I have to say that the Chinese not only take much pride in their culture and traditions but they also know how to celebrate.

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