Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Hundreds packed Boston’s City Hall on Sunday to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
There was a long line of people trying to get into the 2025 Lunar New Year Festival Gala to welcome the Year of the Snake. Elaine Dong, the event's director, says it has continued to grow since Boston officially started recognizing the holiday in 2023.
“I was a little bit overwhelmed too, but I was very honored, very happy,” said Dong. “Everyone gets together as a big family.”
Dong said the Lunar New Year celebration can look different depending on where you are in the world. Gala attendees got a taste of some of the traditions with performances from Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Filipino cultural groups.
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One of Dong’s favorite Chinese traditions is lucrative for children.
“If you are [a younger kid], they go to the elders, they bow and they get red envelopes with cash,” said Dong.
The start of the Lunar New Year changes each year, but it is typically celebrated in late January or early February.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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