By Mariella Krause

Whether you're a rat, a sheep, a goat or a horse, if you love a celebration, you shouldn't miss the festivities surrounding Chinese New Year. There's no pressure to lose weight, no resolutions to stop smoking. Just dazzling parades, dancing lions, exploding firecrackers and nearly 5,000 years of tradition.

Dragon during New Year's celebration on Market Street Chinatown.
© John Elk III. Lonely Planet Images.

The Chinese New Year is ruled by the lunar calendar. This year — the Year of the Rat — sees Chinese New Year falling on Feb. 7, with celebrations lasting throughout the month. From coast to coast, almost every city with a significant Chinese population holds some sort of festivity for you to enjoy. So here's wishing you a fortuitous new year, and a happy and healthy 4706!

San Francisco, Calif.

You just can't find a bigger or better Chinese New Year celebration — at least, not without hopping on a plane to China. San Francisco's annual event is the largest outside of Asia and dates back to the 1860s, just after the California Gold Rush. Festivities last for several weeks, culminating in the crowning of Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and the Chinese New Year Parade attended by nearly 100,000 people each year.

Parades can often be sedate, slow-moving, and sometimes — dare we say — a little boring. But San Francisco's Chinese New Year parade, held this year on Feb. 23, is one of the most vibrant, colorful and exciting you'll ever see. Lion dancers, elaborate floats and performers in dazzling costumes circle downtown to a soundtrack of lively drumming and exploding firecrackers meant to ward off evil spirits. The grand finale is the 200-foot-long golden dragon that takes more than 100 people to help it wind through the streets.

Portland, Ore.

Although Portland's Chinatown isn't as active as San Francisco's, there are still celebrations to be found. The Portland Classical Chinese Garden will host a variety of events from Feb. 7 to 10, including martial arts demonstrations, dance performances, storytelling, a plant sale featuring orchids and traditional lucky bamboo, and a free lantern-making workshop and processional. And the "Portland Chinese Times" will take over the Oregon Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 9, for music, lion dances, cultural activities and Chinese food such as dim sum and sticky rice cakes at the 10th annual Chinese New Year Cultural Fair.

Young girl with hair decorations, Chinese New Year Parade, Chinatown.
© Judy Bellah. Lonely Planet Images.

Butte, Mont.

Completely willing to be outdone by just about everybody, Butte's Chinese New Year parade proclaims itself to be the shortest, loudest and often coldest in the world. And that's not just bragging; no one has challenged the title, despite the event's growing popularity. Butte had a surprisingly large Asian population in the late 1800s, most of whom came in search of gold or to work on the railroads. While the numbers have dwindled, the enthusiasm for the Lunar New Year continues to flourish.

Since it's usually snowing on parade day, no one seems anxious to expand the route from the 5.5 blocks it is now. Around 500 revelers are rewarded with the setting off of 10,000 firecrackers at parade's end. Held by the Mai Wah Society, the parade is led by a ceremonial dragon that was a gift from the Republic of China.

New York City

Known for its ethnic diversity — and with no less than five Chinatowns to its name — it's no surprise that New York City has tons of activities to mark the Chinese New Year. Each year brings a multiborough celebration. Of course, Manhattan has a steady supply of events to mark the occasion, such as the boisterous Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival on Feb. 7 and the colorful Lunar New Year parade on Feb. 10, expected to attract 400,000 attendees and scores of dancing dragons. But the neighborhood of Flushing in Queens also has some great celebrations to check out, including dance performances at the Flushing Town Hall on Feb. 8 and the Flushing Lunar New Year Parade on Feb. 9.

Bio: Mariella Krause is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. She is a co-author of Lonely Planet's upcoming "USA" guide, and has been rained on at many a San Francisco Chinese New Year parade.

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