A couple of weeks back I wrote about receiving a snake plush toy for booking a flight with Cathay Pacific. The promo is being ran to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

2013 is the Year of the Snake in the Lunar (Chinese) Calendar. I’ve read that the Chinese New Year is a very important holiday in China. It is also celebrated around the world in cities with large Chinese populations. 

Some western cities celebrate the Chinese New Year by having a parade. (Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto and my hometown of New York City and many others.)

This weekend there will be parades on both Saturday and Sunday in the NYC area.

Flushing, Queens:

• Saturday, 2/16- There will be a parade in Flushing, Queens. The parade will start at Union Street and 39th Avenue at 11AM. There will be lion and dragon dances as well as other cultural events. On Sunday, 2/17 an indoor festival at Queens Crossing  (136-17 39th Avenue) will go from 11:00AM- 3:00PM. There will be traditional performances and a cultural bazaar. 

Manhattan:

• Sunday 2/17– In NYC’s Chinatown there will be a parade and festival starting at 1:00PM. The parade will go from Little Italy through Chinatown. The cultural festival will be in Sara Roosevelt Park at Canal & Forsyth Street. According to NYCGo, there should be interesting performances, all kinds of vendors and food in the streets.