The Lunar New Year was celebrated in Philadelphia’s Chinatown on January 22nd, 2023. The Philadelphia Suns, who performed the traditional Lion Dances, visited the merchant stores in Chinatown, giving luck and prosperity for the upcoming year while store owners would provide the Lions with gifts of money in red envelopes in return. Meanwhile, a vast array of fireworks accompany the lion dances to ward off evil spirits. The tradition has grown very popular in Philadelphia to the point that there are substantial crowd gatherings to witness the event. According to Harry Leong, the president of the Philadelphia Suns, the event starting from Lunar Year’s eve the night before has noticed the biggest crowd he has ever seen in all the years he has participated in the Lunar Year traditions.
