Philadelphia area to celebrate the Year of the Dragon

Chinese New Year, 4710, the Year of the Dragon, arrives Monday and will be greeted with dinner specials at many area restaurants, as well as celebrations in Philadelphia's Chinatown and on the Main Line. The following events are free:

Chinatown Flower Market. Fresh flowers symbolize growth and rebirth, so a large-scale flower market is held in Hong Kong every year. This year for the first time, Philadelphia will hold its own flower market, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the 10th Street Plaza, at Vine Street.

Main Line Chinese Culture Center New Year Community Gala. Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Great Valley High School, 225 N. Phoenixville Pike, Malvern. Performances of song and dance by students from the center's year-round school start at 1 p.m., followed at 3 p.m. by traditional Chinese games and crafts, such as calligraphy; a chopsticks contest; displays of Chinese inventions such as paper, silk, and porcelain; and programs on the history of tea and China today. Chinese dumplings and other foods will be available. 

Midnight Lion Dance Parade. 11:15 p.m. Sunday, outdoors on 10th Street at Vine in Philadelphia's Chinatown.

Sunday Lion Dance Parade. Jan. 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the same location in Chinatown.

- Dianna Marder