This weekend marks the start of many pre-Lunar New Year Festivities in the city. The New Year begins on February 7 (more information here), and there will be the firecracker ceremony and cultural festival in Chatham Square on that day, plus the Lunar New Year Parade and Festival in Chinatown on February 10. There is also a Lunar New Year Parade in Flushing on February 9. Today through Monday, the Museum of Chinese in America......

Yesterday, thousands were in Chinatown to ring in the Year 4705. The Year of the Pig is a very good year, according to the Chinese astrology, lots of prosperity and good luck. There are a bunch of great Lunar New Year photographs. AKinloch on Flickr took the photograph above of a red lion dancing. LW Lens has a nice Flickr set of yesterday's festivities, with lots of crowd shots like the one above. And......

While Chinatown's annual Chinese New Year Parade won't be until next weekend, there are still plenty of activities to celebrate the year 4705. If you're heading to Chinatown tomorrow (New Year's Day), be sure to head over to Chatham Square (the intersection of Bowery, Mott and East Broadway) for the New Year’s Day Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival. For the first time since the city banned fireworks (and firecrackers), there will be real firecrackers......

It's the Lunar New Year this weekend, the first day of 4705 being this Sunday. The Year of the Pig is a very good year - pigs are fat and round, which means a prosperous and benevolent year. Some even think it's a good year to have babies, too! Chinatown will be celebrating the Year of the Pig this weekend and for the next few weeks. There's the Flower Market at Columbus Park today......

Amy Chin, Program Consultant for the Chinatown Partnership Local Development Corporation...

This Sunday will make the new lunar year, the year 4704, for many Asian cultures, and Chinatown will be hopping. And why not, as it's nice to have another new year when you can (you can start going to gym again religiously - we know you pooped out after four days!). Here are events happening in Chinatown, from Explore Chinatown:3rd Annual Lunar New Year Flower Market Friday, January 27th, Noon - 10:00 p.m. Saturday,......

January 29: First Day of the Lunar New Year -- Year of the Dog There's plenty going on to celebrate the Lunar New year, but of course we're focused on the food. Explore Chinatown's site has a list of restaurants offering special feasts for the occasion, including Gothamist favorite Fuleen Seafood, and explains the different foods that are traditionally eaten as part of the celebration. January 31: Chef Tasting Series at Appellation: Marc Meyer Join......

October 12 & 13: London's "Cocktail King" at Pegu Club Douglas Ankrah of LAB and Townhouse, London's cocktail hot spots, and author of Cocktails: Shaken & Stirred will be holding a special residency at Pegu Club this week. Douglas is going to be behind the bar, making drinks himself, tonight and tomorrow night until 8:30/9pm, but they'll be serving his specialty cocktails all night. 77 W. Houston St., near W. Broadway. October 13: First Annual......

A bustling restaurant in Chinatown was the scene of a murder: A couple argued with Ming wang at Yung Sun Seafood Restaurants; the couple left, and, later, the male half of the couple returned to shoot wang 4-8 times in the head and body. The shooter fled on foot and is still at large. The restaurant knew Wang and the couple, and the Daily News says that Wang and the shooter were "business rivals"; Wang......

April 23rd: Taste of Chinatown This neighborhood food festival showcases restaurants, bakeries, tea houses, and specialty shops throughout Chinatown. Wander through more than 50 tasting stations south of Canal on Mott, Bayard, Mulberry, Baxter, Pell, Doyers, and Mosco from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free and tasting stations will only cost you $1.00 each. That's right -- $1.00. Hard to beat. For a map and more information, visit the Asian Women in Business site,......

It's Chinese (and many other kinds of) New Year, and Asians all over the world are partying like it's 4703. Gothamist urges you to do the same this Year of the Rooster - just head to Chinatown, eat a lot of food and you're pretty much covered. There will be a firecracker ceremony (to scare away the evil spirits) today at 2PM, and a parade this Sunday. On both days, you'll see lion dancers......