Photos: Uptown rings in the Lunar New Year

Parade-goers and dogs dressed in tiger costumes. Dragon dancers skipped and hopped to the beats of their drummers. Dozens packed the local Chinese bakery. A woman holding a wooden paddle instructed people to touch it for good luck. Others handed out red envelopes — a gift-giving tradition during Lunar New Year.

This is how hundreds of people celebrated the Year of the Tiger along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood Saturday.

This year, the annual Lunar New Year celebration — which has been held on the North Side for over 40 years, according to Uptown United — featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances.

The parade, a major celebration for Chicago’s Asian and Asian-American communities, was canceled last year due to COVID-19, but revelers returned to Argyle in full force under sunny skies on a crisp February afternoon.

Sun-Times photographer Pat Nabong takes you there:

A dragon dancer passes by a mural during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Dragon dancer Thien Ly of the the Vovinam group laughs as he takes off his costumer after performing a dragon dance during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A mascot for William C. Goudy Public School peers out the window while standing in line at Chiu Quon Bakery during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Edgewater residents Kristen and her husband Jim Stewart eat pork buns from Chiu Quon Bakery while watching dragon dancers perform during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A dragon dancer pretends to eat a child on a float while waiting for the parade to begin during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Bohdin Truong, 5, performs a dragon dance during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A dog meets a dragon dance performer during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Children hug a person dressed as a tiger during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Vivi Nguyen holds her dog Henny, who is dressed as a tiger, during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Children pet Henny, who is dressed as a tiger, while waiting for the parade to begin during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Kids play on a mound of snow outside Viet Hoa grocery store during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Piper Jenkins, right, and Hannah Russell, left, prepare for a parade during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Hannah Russell waves to parade goers as she is spun on a wheel during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Parade goers wave to attendees as confetti flies in the air during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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People watch a parade during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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A person waits for the red line train during a Lunar New Year celebration along West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2022. The celebration featured a parade, family activities, speeches by politicians and community leaders, and cultural performances. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

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