BRACE’s New Year and lantern celebration features floats, lion dances, and crafts

BRACE hosted the 3rd Annual Brooklyn Lunar New Year & Lantern Street Festival on Feb. 28 along Eighth Avenue in Sunset Park, drawing elected officials, members of law enforcement, and local Chinese community leaders for a lively Lantern Festival celebration tied to the Year of the Horse.

Around midday, guests gathered at the main stage near 60th Street and Eighth Avenue. During an opening ceremony that lasted about an hour, attendees took group photos, listened to guest remarks, and watched dragon and lion dance performances.

Organizers said they prepared five large lion dance groups to greet the public for the new year, symbolizing “five blessings at your doorstep.” The program also featured auspicious costumed characters and animal mascots, including the God of Wealth and panda figures, drawing crowds eager to take photos and collect a bit of good luck.

The float parade was another centerpiece of the day, with the procession spanning Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth avenues. Spectators lined the route with phones and cameras raised as the parade passed.

Festivities continued into the evening. Organizers presented cultural performances and activities including Peking opera face-changing, paper-cut lantern crafts, lantern riddles, welcoming the God of Wealth, tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls), a hanfu showcase, stilt walking, calligraphy and painting demonstrations, and a qipao show.

BRACE President John Chan thanked those who attended and said clear weather helped make the day a joy for the neighborhood. He said the Lantern Festival has a long history and remains one of the traditional holidays Chinese communities value most. He added that holding cultural events overseas helps share the charm of Chinese culture while giving local government and other communities a closer view of Chinese community life.

“Through everyone’s joint efforts, we will continue to carry forward Chinese traditions,” Chan said. “I also wish everyone good fortune in the Year of the Horse, good health, and family happiness.”

Ten-year-old Lin Mei attended with her mother, wearing a bright red hanfu dress. As a Chinese American who has grown up around Eighth Avenue, she said she looks forward to Lunar New Year each year.

“What I look forward to most is getting together with relatives and friends for the new year,” Lin Mei said. She added that she has never celebrated Lunar New Year in China and cannot compare the holiday atmosphere in the two places.

“But I hope that one day I can go to China for the new year and experience the festive atmosphere there,” she said.

Ms. Lin, a mother who attended with children, said that although her kids are growing up in the United States, they are still Chinese, and their upbringing should include Chinese traditions. She said large community holiday celebrations in Chinatown are especially important and should not be missed.

“That way, when kids grow up, they understand where their roots are, and they have a clearer cultural identity,” Ms. Lin said.

State Assemblymember Lester Chang spoke about his family’s immigration story and said he grew up in Manhattan’s Chinatown. He said that in earlier years, families often celebrated Lunar New Year at home, but that as the Chinese population has grown in recent years, large public celebrations in the community have become possible.

“Chinese immigrants have experienced many struggles, and only now have things become more stable,” Chang said. “We have not forgotten the traditions we learned from our homeland. After coming to America, we have carried them forward here as well. I hope young people continue to inherit our traditional culture and virtues.”

City Councilmember Susan Zhuang said she immigrated to the United States at age 20, and Lunar New Year has deep meaning for her every year. She said she was happy to see traditional Chinese culture continuing to be passed down even far from home.

“In the Chinese community, we have the God of Wealth that everyone loves,” Zhuang said. “I wish Chinese people around the world a happy new year and great luck in the Year of the Horse, and I hope Brooklyn’s Chinese community becomes more and more prosperous.”