Note: this usually happens in February but I didn't start this blog until May.
If you want to see Chinatown at its most chaotic and beautiful, you have to skip the main parade and go for Super Saturday. I headed down there for the most recent Lunar New Year festivities, and it’s a completely different vibe than the organized barricades of the official parade.
Super Saturday is a tradition that’s pretty much unique to NYC's Chinatown. It started back in the 60s because most of the local shops used to close on New Year’s Day. To make up for it, all the lion dance troupes would return on the first or second Saturday after the New Year to bless the businesses.
I got there when they started after 10am and the neighborhood was already vibrating with drumbeats and the smell of gunpowder. Unlike the big parade where you’re stuck behind a fence, Super Saturday is a free-for-all. There were over 20 different lion dance groups roaming the streets. You’ll just be walking down Mott or Bayard Street and suddenly a group of performers will swarm a storefront.
The "lions" go door-to-door to offer blessings and "eat" offerings (usually oranges and red envelopes filled with cash) hung outside the shops. It is loud, crowded, and honestly a bit surreal to be that close to the action. By the afternoon, the ground is literally covered in a thick layer of red confetti and firecracker scraps.
I spent a few hours just following different troupes around. It’s one of the best events because it feels so grassroots and authentic. There’s no announcer or grandstand; it’s just the community reclaiming the streets. If you’re looking for a photo op that isn't the standard tourist shot, this is it. Just be prepared to get some confetti in your hair and have your ears ringing for a bit afterward.
For more free and cheap Manhattan events, click on a Manhattan link on this page.
No comments:
Post a Comment