Happy 4711!

[Zappykins]

I just came from a big New Year's Celebration and Parade in my town where we have a large Chinese Population and celebrated the New Year of the Horse.  We feasted on Dim Sum, watched the parade, cheered for people, and put red envelopes in the mouths of the lions when they danced by.

There was much throwing of confetti and these giant 'pop tubes' that would spray it high in the air.  Sometimes the wind would pick it up and it would fly up and not land.  There was music and friendliness, it was a good time.

This year is not only the horse, but specifically the Year of the Wood Horse.  Other Horse years - 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2026

Celebrities Born in the Year of the Horse
Louisa May Alcott, Chopin, Davy Crockett, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Sandra Day O'Connor, Rembrandt, Teddy Roosevelt, Sir Isaac Newton, Barbara Streisand, Cindy Crawford, Cynthia Nixon, Denzel Washington, Harrison Ford, Jason Biggs, Jackie Chan, Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, Leonard Bernstein, Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Rembrandt, Ashton Kutcher, Emma Watson, Josh Hartnett, Katie Holmes, Kristen Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Genghis Khan, Emperor Kangxi and Yongzheng of China’s Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911)

Wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year who celebrates the Chinese Calendar.

(Plus 4711 just sound cool)

Are you do anything to celebrate?

 

They had Dragons running the streets chasing pearls.

These are special red envelopes that we use to give the dancing lions money for luck: (Can someone translate it?)

There were pretty ladys on floats:

People everywhere shopping, watching and smiling.  You can see some of the 'popped' confetti falling:

We had bands and people marching and dancing with flags:

This really cool gilded carriage with lions came through.  Not sure who was supposed to be in it though:

There were dancing horses from Mexico:

Yes, we saw all three flags displayed.

We had people supporting human and civil rights:

We even had Parents suporting their gay kids: