Thousands turned out celebrating Lunar New Year in Millbrae with Golden Dragon, firecrackers
Toddlers had to cover their ears as a long string of firecrackers lit up, and the iconic Golden Dragon dancing with drums and gongs initiated the celebration.
Despite the fear of the novel coronavirus outbreak, thousands turned out attending the Lunar New Year parade and street fairs in Millbrae of San Mateo County.
This is the second time this peninsular small town, with about half of the population from Asian descent, hosted the public festival for Lunar New Year after a decade-long halt of the city’s tradition.
“The diversity here is very palpable, exciting, and brings us great innovation”, said Congresswoman Jackie Speier, the Grand Marshal leading the parade. “It’s very reflective of what the rest of the county will look like over a period of years”.
Speier represents San Mateo County and a portion of southwestern San Francisco in the House of Representatives. When asked about her new year’s wish, Speier made a political one to the reporter without hesitation.
“Peace, and a new President”, she said.
The event is organized by the recently founded Millbrae Culture Committee(MCC), whose members include some local elected officials and community culture advocates.
Nienhwa Cheng, an organizer from MCC, said that 51 businesses or nonprofits sponsored to join the street fair this year, and the parade groups reached a total of 31, way more than last year. MCC has also held a Mid-Autumn Festival in the city’s downtown streets last September.
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This story was originally published in Chinese language by the World Journal on Jan. 27, 2020.
