The last two weeks of February fill Victoria’s downtown core with bright colors that drive away winter and welcome spring. From time to time, the usual street noise is interrupted by the distinctive rattle and rhythms of drums meant to ward off evil spirits. This is Victoria celebrating the Chinese New Year.
 The key event of this two-week celebration is the Lunar New Year Parade in the oldest Chinatown in Canada. The annual festive procession traditionally begins and ends in front of the Victoria Chinese Public School, and the event is traditionally organized by the Wong Sheung Kung Fu Club.
 This year, in the Year of the Fire Horse, which began on February 17, Victoria’s Chinatown burst into the vibrant colors of the annual festival. On Sunday, February 22, the traditional New Year Parade took place, and Victoria officially entered the New Year according to the lunar calendar.
 The current Year of the Fire Horse is a rare 60-year cyclical event that combines the Horse, symbolizing strength and speed, with the element of Fire, symbolizing passion and action. It is a year of “Double Fire,” believed to bring energetic changes. May all changes be for the better.