Hundreds of people lined the streets of Chicago’s Chinatown Sunday afternoon to celebrate the end of the Lunar New Year, a 15-day holiday that marks the beginning of a new year in the lunisolar calendar, and watched marching bands, lion dancers in red and gold and dragons parade from Wentworth Avenue to Cermak Road.
Lunar New Year is considered the most important holiday in Chinese culture, although other countries such as Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia observe the holiday. The Chinese tradition is accompanied by a 12-year cycle with each year represented by an animal. 2025 marks the Year of the Snake, and according to Chinese tradition, those who are born under the snake are supposed to have a resilient and courageous personality.
The Chinatown festival dates back to Chicago’s first Chinese immigrants, who settled first in the Loop and then moved farther south to the area around Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue. Parade participants and organizers said the Lunar New Year Parade is important because it teaches people about Chinese traditions.
“It’s important to have an event like this because it’s a way to share our culture,” said Ald. Nicole Lee, 11th, whose ward includes Chinatown. “Having a parade like this is an opportunity for everyone to be part of something bigger.”
For many, like Lee, this year’s parade is only one of many. Although Lee has not always marched in the event, she has been coming to watch the lions and dragons dance through the streets for over 20 years.
As an alderman, Lee had a float that made its way through the parade. The people on top of that float included 5-year-old Rose and 8-year-old Grace, whose father Vince Arrigo has attended for over 30 years. Arrigo went to school near Chinatown and remembers when people used to set off firecrackers as part of the festivities.
“It’s an absolutely great time every year,” the Bridgeport resident said. “I feel lucky I grew up by Chinatown.”
For others, the parade was an opportunity to gain exposure to a different culture and learn more about Chicago’s Chinatown community.
“I’ve never been to a Chinatown,” said Diana Fernandes, who was invited to the parade by one of her friends. Although Fernandes already knew a little bit about Lunar New Year, it was special for the Highland Park resident to witness this parade. “I love to see the dragons,” she said.
Fernandes was also struck by the number of Chinese shops and restaurants she saw in the area. While Chinatown felt small to Fernandes, she said she was impressed by how the community “made it their own.”
Sunday’s parade was one of several Lunar New Year celebrations across the Chicago area. The Uptown neighborhoodheld its parade Saturday, featuring dozens of local community groups, performers and cultural institutions. Music and dance performances also lit up Navy Pier on Feb. 1 to ring in the Year of the Snake as part of its Global Connection Series.
In Chinese culture, families traditionally cook elaborate meals for Lunar New Year with dishes that hold various meanings: dumplings for wealth, noodles for longevity and steamed fish for abundance, among other dishes. People also dress in red, a color that symbolizes luck in Chinese culture, and give each other red envelopes filled with money to wish for a prosperous new year. Homes will also undergo major cleaning in preparation for the holiday to sweep away any bad luck and make space for good fortune in the new year.
Another important part of both the Chinatown parade and other Lunar New Year celebrations is having lion dancers, whose presence is supposed to bring good luck and ward off bad spirits.
“It’s a tradition to not only welcome in the new year, but to scare away the evil,” Gene Lee, a volunteer the parade, said. Lee, who was born and raised in Chinatown, was happy to so many people come out, as well as the “great weather” for the event.
“We wish everyone health, peace and prosperity,” he said.
