Lunar New Year Celebration

Chicago is home to approximately 150,000 individuals who identify as Asian. This February was the beginning of the Lunar New Year hailed as The Year of the Pig according to the Chinese Zodiac.

According to TheChineseZodiac.org, this is a great year to make money, and a good year to invest! 2019 is going to be full of joy, a year of friendship and love for all the zodiac signs; an auspicious year because the Pig attracts success in all the spheres of life.

The Chinatown neighborhood in Chicago is centered on Cermak and Wentworth Avenues, and is an example of one of the city’s many ethnic neighborhoods and is probably the most well known Asian ethnic community.

A section in Uptown on the northside near Argyle and Broadway is sometimes referred to as New Chinatown or the northside Chinatown. But this is something of a misnomer since the majority of Asians in this area are from South-East Asia, hence it is also known as Little Vietnam.

On February 9, 2019 the community celebrated the beginning of the Lunar New Year with a parade and parties.

Below is a video of highlights from The Lunar New Year Celebration at Furama Restaurant attended by about 300 people, including a number of political dignitaries, and hosted by the South-East Asia Center a not-for-profit organization that offers a number of programs for area children and seniors including a preschool, daycare, afterschool program, senior daycare, ESL Classes, and Golden Diners Program, as well as a number of social service assistance programs.