Photo of Chinese dancers at a Chinese New Year celebration in Maryland (2008).

Chinese New Year
Excerpt from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Celebrated in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had a strong influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbours, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction. These include Koreans, Mongolians, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, and formerly the Japanese before 1873. In Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and other countries with significant Chinese populations, Chinese New Year is also celebrated, largely by overseas Chinese, but it is not part of the traditional culture of these countries. In Canada, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations and Canada Post issues New Year's themed stamps in domestic and international rates.

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Keywords:
Chinese holidays, Chinese New Year, chinese dancing, chinese dance, dancers, dances, festival, celebration, festivities, festivals, celebrations, culture, cultures, anthropology, cultural, Chinese-American, Chinese-Americans, Chinatown, Maryland, Montgomery County, Germantown, documentary photography, editorial, press photography, news, chinese arts, east asia, china, taiwan

Ref: 2008_0255-Edit

Location: Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg, MD

Photographer: Irene Abdou