ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands are celebrating the Lunar New Year in Orlando this weekend with two events spotlighting cultural traditions, entertainment and food.
- Vietnamese New Year festival at Central Florida Fairgrounds
- Dragon Parade Sunday in Mills 50
- Orlando has Florida's largest vietnamese community
This weekend the Vietnamese Community of Central Florida is hosting its big Lunar New Year (or Tết) Festival at the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park on West Colonial Drive.
The festival features Vietnamese street food, fireworks and lion dancing, dance and music performances, and the annual Miss Vietnam of Florida pageant.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. It's free to attend.
Orlando is home to Florida's largest Vietnamese community.
Also Sunday, the eighth annual Dragon Parade and Lunar New Year Festival will take place in the Mills 50 area.
The parade itself starts at 11 a.m. at Mills Avenue and Lake Highland Drive, then continues down Thornton Avenue to the festival area at Thornton Avenue and East Colonial Drive.
The event will feature a dragon dance, lion dance, martial arts displays, cultural dances, arts and crafts, a marketplace, food and more. The event runs to 4 p.m.
Lunar New Year events are based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which calculates both the motions of Earth around the sun, and the moon around the Earth. The Lunar New Year this year was on February 5, but events can take place over several days.
Each year is assigned an animal on the zodiac, based on a 12-year cycle. This year, 2019, is the Year of the Pig.
For cultures that celebrate the Lunar New Year, the holiday is used as an occasion for family reunions and honoring ancestors. Families may also clean their house thoroughly to sweep away any ill-fortune. It's also considered the first day of Spring.