New York's Chinatown welcomes Year of the Pig

New York: Drums, dragons and dancers paraded through New York's Chinatown Sunday to usher in the Year of the Pig in the metropolis with the biggest population of Chinese descent of any city outside Asia.

Confetti and spectators a half-dozen or more deep at points lined the route of Sunday's Lunar New Year Parade in lower Manhattan.

There's an animal associated with every year in the 12-year Chinese astrological cycle, and The Year of the Pig started February 5.

Some marchers sported cheerful pink pig masks atop traditional Chinese garb of embroidered silk.

Others played drums, banged gongs or held aloft big gold-and-red dragons on sticks, snaking the creatures along the route.

Someone in a panda costume marched with a clutch of well-known children's characters, including Winnie the Pooh, Cookie Monster and Snoopy.

The lunar year is centered on the cycles of the moon and begins in January or February. Last year was the Year of the Dog.

While some parade-goers were familiar with the Chinese zodiac, others said they were just there to enjoy the cultural spectacle or partake in a sense of auspicious beginning.