Celebrating 2013 Chinese New Year in Vancouver’s Chinatown
40th Vancouver Chinese New Year’s Parade
恭喜發財! Gung Hay Fat Choi! (Happy New Year!)
The annual Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade, is one of the largest annual parades in the city. The parade closes car traffic on E. Pender and Main Street and draws over 50,000 spectators.
The 2013 Vancouver’s Chinese New Year Parade starts at 11:00 am on Sunday, February 17th, 2013, and takes two and a half hours to complete. The 1.5 km parade route winds through Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, starting at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street (between Shanghai Alley and Taylor Street), proceeding east along Pender Street, turning south onto Gore Street, then west onto Keefer Street before ending at Keefer and Taylor.
If you want to feel like you’re in the parade, get there early, maybe even two hours early, find a ringside location either side of E. Pender St between Main St and Columbia, wait and you’ll have a great time, get handed out sweets by Vancouvers politicos including Mayor Robertson, and have a great view. Chinese New Year is a vibrant time for Chinatown. It reminds us how important the community and neighbourhood are.
Images from Vancouver Chinese New Year Parade
Along with the Parade, there are also lots of New Years festivities in the neighbourhood.
There is a Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival & Cultural Fair at Sun Yat-Sen Plaza (50 East Pender Street) on Saturday, Feb 16th from 1-4pm & on Sunday, Feb 17th from 2-5pm, sponsored by the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver. The Fair includes multicultural performances, martial arts demos, and a special lion dance grand finale. (Although the Fair runs until 5pm, performances end at 4pm.) Admission to the Spring Festival is free.
Chinese New Year Miaohui Celebration 2013 at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classic Chinese Garden (50 East Pender Street) on Saturday, Feb 16th from 1-5pm & on Sunday, Feb 17th from 10am-5pm.
There are Lion Dances after the parade at some of the Businesses along Keefer. The lion dances will preform after the parade from approximately 2-4pm.
The annual Chinese New Year Banquet at Floata Seafood Restaurant, is on Sunday, February 17th. $35 tickets buy dinner and live performances of lion dances, a Chinese variety show, and ‘good luck’ greetings by the fortune god. Reception starts at 6pm.
The Parade is supported by:
Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver
Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Vancouver
Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association
S.U.C.C.E.S.S.
Chinese Freemasons Vancouver Branch
Shon Yee Benevolent Association
http://www.cbavancouver.ca/parade.html
Year of The Snake in Chinese Astrology
The Year of the Water Snake in the Chinese Lunar calendar will begin on Monday February 10th in 2013.
‘The Water Snake year brings with it, cosmic awareness, sage spirituality, and integration with your Source, Maker or Spirit.” 2013’s year of the Water Snake (Gui Si)
http://www.chineseastrology.com/2013snakeyear.html