Firecracker ceremony welcomes year of the snake and new school holiday

By Shirley L Ng

Wednesday’s Chinatown firecracker ceremony in New York Chinatown welcomed the new Lunar New Year, year of the snake with smiles on children’s faces.

The firecracker ceremony included singing, a Chinese yo-yo performance, lion dancing and the lighting of long red streams of firecrackers at the end to ward off evil spirits. You can watch AsAmNews’ livestream of the ceremony and the lighting of firecrackers via X.

The ceremony also celebrated a new school holiday. New York became the first and only state to pass legislation in 2023 to put this widely celebrated holiday on the school calendar. For the first time ever, New York school children are off from school to celebrate Lunar New Year. Also known as the Spring Festival, Lunar New Year is celebrated by many Asian Americans in New York and around the world. The largest population of Asians in New York State are in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. 

During the annual Chinatown firecracker ceremony, NY Assemblymember Grace Lee spoke about this momentous new school holiday. 

“We are making history today, because for the first time ever, Lunar New Year is being celebrated across New York State as a statewide school holiday. All the kids need to cheer for that. I am so proud to have led the effort in the New York State Assembly to make sure that this law could be passed, that Asian Americans know that we matter, we belong here and we are New Yorkers. This is something I never could have imagined when I was growing up. And now, my daughters get to go to school and other children get to go to school to be proud of who they are and to share their cultural heritage with their friends,“Lee said. 

In 2024 the holiday landed on a weekend, therefore 2025 is the first-time school children in the state are out of school instead of being marked absent.

Several elected officials also attended the firecracker ceremony; District 1 Councilmember Christopher Marte, Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine, District 2 Councilmember, Carlina Rivera and NY State Senator, Brian Kavanagh. Mayor Eric Adams has attended previous firecracker ceremonies since becoming mayor, but did not attend due to recent health issues that are now keeping him home.

People born during the year of the snake are said to be mysterious, introverted, suspicious, but also wise.  The new year may bring them prosperity, some joy and challenges that require balance, but that they should shed their old ways like how snakes shed their skin and start anew.

Gabby Woo of Brooklyn was in Chinatown celebrating the holiday with her son, Miles. She tells AsAmNews she celebrates Lunar New Year with traditional dishes such as dumplings, roast pork and roast duck. Her son Miles attends pre-kindergarten. He told AsAmNews he was happy that there was no school today and that he “gets to speak Chinese!”

“We clean, do laundry, wear new clothes, visit elders and give red envelopes with money to children,” says a woman named Abby. She told AsAmNews she shows her daughter what she does to prepare and celebrate the new year so that the customs would be passed on to her.

Nickie of Jersey City, NJ told AsAmNews it was her son’s first time celebrating Lunar New Year in Chinatown.  To her, the holiday is meant to celebrate with a family dinner with dishes that include chicken, fish, Chinese broccoli and radish that “symbolizes good luck,” she said.

Firecrackers and the lion dances are very important during Lunar New Year. When the firecrackers are lit, they make a pop noise to scare off evil spirits and bad luck that may sneak into the new year. The lion dances encourage good luck and blessings into the new year.

After the celebratory lion dances, the New York City Fire Department was on hand to light up the several long streams of firecrackers that quickly make loud popping noises along with flashes of light from the small explosions. As the several streams of firecrackers continued to explode, smoke filled the air. When it was all burned the crowd cheered and welcomed the year of the snake.

In 2026 the Chinese zodiac animal for the Lunar New Year is the horse and the holiday will fall on February 17.

AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.

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