Year of the Dog bounds in with lions, lights, and spectacle in Chinatown
Philadelphia's Chinatown community rang in the Year of the Dog Thursday night with traditional lion dances and firecrackers.
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A member of the Philly Suns does a lion dance through the streets of Chinatown in celebration of the Chinese New Year on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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An elder gives out blessings for prosperity to the lions and their drummers as they celebrate the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Dan Fogarty (center) and his wife Trish, stand and joke with family friend Angel Rodriguez, 20, as they wait for the lion dances to begin in celebration of the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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The Philly Suns celebrate the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown with lion dances on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Matt Hing, 15, (center) lights off 4 firecrackers at once in celebration of the the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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A drummer keeps the beat for the lions as they dance to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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The Philly Suns is a community support movement for young Chinese-Americans in Philadelphia. They celebrate the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown with many lion dances on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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A member of the Philly Suns does a lion dance through the streets of Chinatown in celebration of the Chinese New Year on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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A friend says hi to a dancer during his turn as the lion's head during the Midnight Lion Dance to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Elders of the Chinatown community help raise a string of firecrackers two stories high to celebrate the Chinese New Year on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Members of the Philly Suns do a lion dance around a two-story string of firecrackers as they go off in celebration of the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Older members of the community help the younger ones light their firecrackers during the downpour of rain that accompanied their celebration of the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Revelers watch as very bright and very loud firecrackers are lit to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15th 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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A member of the Philly Suns does a lion dance through firecrackers as they go off in celebration of the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Fireworks are set off in celebration of the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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Wrapers from firecrackers and lettuce, which represents money and prosperity, litters the ground after a lion dance in celebration of the Chinese New Year in Phildelphia's Chinatown on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
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A member of the Philly Suns takes off his lion head after a sucessful lion dance through the streets of Chinatown in celebration of the Chinese New Year on February 15, 2018. (Emily Cohen for WHYY)
More than a hundred people gathered in Chinatown Thursday for fireworks, drumming, and lion dances to ring in the Lunar New Year. College students, friends and families filled the blocks surrounding 10th and Race streets amid downpours and unseasonably warm weather to welcome the Year of the Dog.
The celebrations began well before midnight with Chinese-American teenagers setting off firecrackers along 10th Street, to the delight and surprise of those who gathered to join in the celebrations.
Dan Fogarty and his wife, Trish, along with family friend Angel Rodriguez, made their way to the celebrations after missing the Philly Suns’ lion dance at the International House’s Chinese New Year celebrations earlier in the night.
The rain didn’t bother them. “It’s good luck. It rained on our wedding, and that’s going well, so maybe it’ll be a good year,” Fogarty said from beneath his umbrella.
The New Year’s celebrations and dances have been going on in Chinatown “since at least the ’70s” said Sidney Lee, 41, a Chinatown native. “It’s a way for us to pay our respects to our elders in the community … each of the lion dances takes place in front of the different community associations on Race Street.”
The elders came out and fed the lions lettuce and play money to bless the participants with a bountiful year ahead. With each dance, a stream of firecrackers two stories high was set off as the lions cavorted.
“You go all in, it doesn’t matter about the lion costume. They’re authentic,” Lee said as he watched his brother’s club, the Suns, perform their dances.
The celebrations continue throughout the weekend with a Lion Dance Parade Sunday at 11 a.m., starting at 10th and Spring streets.
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