Chinese New Year 2010

One of the most popular celebrations in the Bay Area took place in San Francisco Saturday.

After two days of rain, the skies cleared just in time for the annual Chinese New Year Parade celebrating the year of the tiger.

San Francisco began hosting the event in the 1860s as way to educate the community about the culture, and it is now one of the largest, if not the largest, Chinese New Year festivals in the country.

Young and old gathered along the parade route to watch the spectacle, some staking out a spot hours before it began, ensuring a good viewing point.

The parade took off around 5:30 p.m. on Market and 2nd Street and ended at about 9 p.m. about two miles up in the intersection of Kearny and Columbus  in Chinatown.

Filled mostly with families and young people snapping photos, the crowd watched as colorful and tiger-themed floats cruised down the parade route accompanied by performers from different clubs and associations acting out traditional dances.

As day turned into night, a crowd favorite started their march down the parade route.

As firecrackers exploded, the White Crane Dragon and Lion Dance Association displayed “The Golden Dragon,” a 108-foot dragon operated by a team of 30 men.

The showcase amazed the crowd, which screamed and photographed the dragon, collectively thrilled to be a part of the warm welcome to the New Year.

Contact Erik Verduzco at everduzco.advocate@gmail.com

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