District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood and former Mayor Willie Brown laughing during the opening ceremony for Lunar New Year on Wednesday in San Francisco.
This year’s Lunar New Year kicked off with a bang in San Francisco’s Chinatown on Wednesday as 10,000 firecrackers were set off on Kearny Street.
Hundreds of spectators packed Portsmouth Square, with many pushing to the front or standing on a park bench to catch a glimpse of the performances and speeches before the lighting of the firecrackers.
“We gather as a community to honor our traditions, celebrate our culture and celebrate the opportunity of the year ahead,” San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Donald Luu said in a speech. “Chinese New Year is a time of unity, reflections and renewal.”
Mayor Daniel Lurie, former Mayor Willie Brown, several members of the city’s Board of Supervisors, state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, City Attorney David Chiu, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Police Chief Bill Scott and Sheriff Paul Miyamoto all joined in on the celebration. Many were adorned in red, a color that represents good fortune and vitality in Chinese tradition.
2025 is the Year of the Snake in the Chinese Zodiac. It represents transformation and letting go of negative habits, akin to a snake shedding a layer of its skin.
“The snake is special because it symbolizes rebirth and renewal in a year where we certainly need it,” Yang Shouzheng , Chinese acting consul general for San Francisco, said. “It sheds its scales and comes out with a new skin, and that’s what we need for San Francisco. That’s what we need for California. That’s what we need for the country.”
Various Lunar New Year celebrations will continue for the next few weeks in the city, concluding with the 2025 Chinese New Year Parade on Feb. 15.
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