A new lunar year began today Monday 23, and according to Chinese astrology, it will be a particularly auspicious one : ” Of the 12 signs, the dragon is the only animal that’s legendary,” explains Ryan Wong, assistant curator at the Museum of Chinese in America. ” It’s a pervasive year icon in Chinese culture. Unlike  the Western dragon, usually  associated with evil and aggression, the Chinese one is benevolent, powerful and associated with heaven.”

On a rainy Monday 23, I was determined to make my way over to Chinatown for the 13th Annual Chinatown Firecracker  Ceremony and Cultural Festival. The Dragon was front and center at the Firecracker Ceremony and Cultural Festival, as some of the 600,000 rounds of explosives that were customized in the shape of the legendary animal. The colors, people and energy were spectacular, as everyone celebrated the Year of the Dragon.

Naima Sanowar also writes for her own Blog  The Adventurista