Last week in San Francisco, there was the Chinese New Year Parade. For those who may not know, the actual Chinese New Year this year fell on February 14th. This is the year of the Tiger.
And there were plenty of tiger costumes and colours around, many Dragons, more traditional sounds, melodies and costumes too, together with school groups and local VIPs.
Sure it is a heavily sponsored event, and being in the format of a parade, I hear it loses much of its original mystical/religious rythm and meaning. It is also true, though, that it brings sounds and scents that would otherwise be only part of memories. It’s not “home”. But it makes it a bit closer.
I like it. So do many others, and there is extensive media and photographic coverage for sure. My small tribute is below. Hope you like it.
