Thousands of people gathered on Kearny Street to watch the Chinese New Year parade.Thousands of people gathered on Kearny Street to watch the Chinese New Year parade.On Saturday night, a pile of firecrackers with red and purple scraps marked the beginning of the Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco, welcoming the year of the dog.Thousands of people lined up on the streets of the city center, excited, scrambling to enjoy the best views of the sparkling floats, bands and costumes from Market Street to Columbus Avenue.In the biggest crowdPleasant: a great selfPush the red shopping cart, sponsor the byLucky supermarket, with an exposed engine that rumbles like a hot stick.Known as one of the largest Asian cultural celebrations outside Asia, the Chinese New Year parade has been held in San Francisco since 1860 and remains an important cultural gathering in the city.Grace Yuen, vice president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco, said: "We are starting a new year with a new beginning, and this is what we are celebrating .", Demonstrations and their accompanying activities have been organized since 1958.The event, she said, represents a moment when families get together to welcome a rich new year."It's a family party, but San Francisco is everywhere.We attract all of us ."Cassandra Taylor of Fremont says she has lived in the Bay Area for 13 years but has not yet taken part in the famous march in San Francisco.Equipped with a lawn chair, she arrived more than two hours in advance and found an excellent viewing spot."I'm so excited," Taylor said .""It's been on my list all the time.I’m loving it.Just before the start of the march, Norman Smith, holding his dog costume head, said he had been in the march with his daughter for the past three years, the daughter attends Jose Ortega Primary School in San Francisco.“It’s great."I can put on a mask like a dog, a pig or a cock and jump around," Smith said ." Refers to what any animal in the zodiac may need in a certain year.Smith's furry dog costume helped him stay warm in the February breeze, which brought a lot of warm coats.Many people present at the meeting crowded in blankets or held hot drinks."I will lose 5 pounds here," Smith said .".Perhaps the most anticipated part of the parade is the last scene of tradition --a snaking, 288-foot-Long, animated with the help of 48 volunteers.With horns, brightorange-and-This year, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce purchased the yellow beast for the parade.Kyle Campbell, who is preparing to move around the middle of the Dragon, is celebrating his fourth year as part of the Dragon."It's fun," he said, adding that the dragon volunteers get a New Jersey each year, engraved with a year's zodiac sign."I may choose these 12 people," Campbell joked .".Earlier in the day, thousands of people flocked to Chinatown to see the sights, sounds and smells of the 29 China community street fair.As the aroma of roasted chestnuts floats through the air, crowds of people walk through about 120 stalls, offering samples from canned abalone to spicy chicken soup, to handmade jewelry, to a free spinal examinationThe noisy lion dance performance, accompanied by drumming, crashing and firecrackers, appears in the community, causing crowds of onlookers, when the sound rings from the narrow streets, some people have to raise their ears.Yang Yuan in San FranciscoProud to be the tail in the lion costume trio --This celebration dance dates back to an old story, a Chinese village surrounded by demons.To fight back, Wu said, "the villagers came up with these lion costumes" to scare away the demons."Loud music and firecrackers will stop all the evil of the previous year."Wu has been practicing martial arts and lion dances in Yau kung fu studio for 17 years.Perform a good lion dance in two peopleHe said that people's clothing needs to be focused and they need to build good relationships with their partners."You have to know your partner so you can be a lion," he said ."."It's fun to celebrate our culture and have fun together.