PHOTOS: Chinese New Year celebrations in Philly

Philadelphia’s Chinese community rang in the 2018 Chinese Lunar New Year with celebrations over the weekend in and around Chinatown.

On Sunday, performers with the Philadelphia Suns and community members took to the streets in bright red and yellow costumes to celebrate the newly-inaugurated “Year of the Dog.” 

Bright colors are part of the tradition, and are said to keep evil spirits away. Performers in masks fed the lions lettuce and clementine peelings as they danced their way down Race Street. Firecrackers exploded in the midst of the lions dancing and sent bursts of red paper into the sky, while crowd members covered their mouths from the thick smoke and protected their ears from the sounds.

Nonetheless, spectators were eager to see the parade.