Click Click: Chinese New Year

Photos and videos by Martin Locraft

Apologies, golf nerds and gossip mongers, but there aren't any Tiger Woods photos in this post. No Tiger puns, either. (Alright -- maybe just one, a taxonomy. Tiger: Lion Cheetah.) It's the Year of the Tiger But Not That Tiger. Today in Chinatown, thousands of people partied like it's 4708, throwing pops into the street and paper streamers in the air. And standing in large, milling crowds.

DCist photographer Martin Locraft nabbed some visuals, including two videos from the event. What you don't see specifically, or rather what you won't notice unless you're looking, is the Taiwanese flag. The Flag of the Republic of China is arguably less familiar to Americans than the Flag of the People's Republic of China -- the latter is anyway infinitely more likely to get a rise out the people in Washington who like to tell you that a Communist has already taken the White House.

The political flair comes courtesy of event's sponsor, the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, one of the nation's oldest Chinese organizations. The New York Times describes the group as "historically anti-Communist and pro-Taiwanese." It's just as well -- it probably wouldn't do to have Communist flags strung up through the capital of the free world. On the other side of the coin, there's probably one group who would be none too pleased to see thousands of people waving a Taiwanese flag in downtown Washington, D.C.: the Chinese government.

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By Kriston Capps in News on February 21, 2010 6:53 PM

Comments [rss]

cire

They used to hang a five-story long strand of firecrackers on a crane parked on H Street (last time I saw that in 04), so everybody could see it, but now they only lay the strand on the ground. There was never one "five-story firecracker"; that would be a big bomb... To make you feel better, the firecracker finale last year was canceled due to a reported gas leak.

namllih

This was a good time. Mobs of people.

If you got there at 3:30pm- there's no way you would have been able to see the five story fire cracker anyway were it to have gone off 15 minutes later.

tvc15

All the folks there were in good spirits due to the awesome weather and it was very easy to move through the crowd. I liked that everyone walking would throw snaps on the ground every few steps. quite amusing.

Thanks Locraft: that does make me feel better!

Martin Locraft

If it makes you feel any better, the "five story" part of that description was absolute nonsense (unless they were talking about how tall the strand would be if it was held vertically). They basically just lit a really long line of your typical black cat firecrackers.

tvc15

Grouchy McGrouchy here. The Washington Post listing said that "The festival includes traditional dances, music, a parade at 2 p.m. and the lighting of a five-story firecracker at 3:45 p.m.".

I got there at 3:30 and found out from a cop that the firecracker was set off a while back. Very disappointed.

The Commies would have done it on time.

Rukasu

"It's just as well -- it probably wouldn't do to have Communist flags strung up through the capital of the free world."

http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/57372555.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921F7C3FC3F69D929FDAA617F27691031CE11AF950A68E54C730255D4A2F0EC74DEF06BF04B24B4128C

Riiiiiiight....

Frankly I'm surprised the PRC Embassy didn't have counter flag wavers out in full force yesterday, they love that kind of rabble-rousing

monkeyrotica

Hello? Is Red there? Last name “Rawrubbedpenis?”

Why, you yellow rat bastard! Say it to my face!

monkeyrotica

It's just as well -- it probably wouldn't do to have Communist flags strung up through the capital of the free world.

I dunno. Considering the Reds were big on firearms confiscation and guaranteed employment no matter how inept, I think it fits right in with the DC City Council’s legislative history.

C'est la lutte finale

Groupons-nous, et demain

L'Internationale

Sera le genre humain!