ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION).<br/> Hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the Year of the Dragon in New York's Chinatown on Monday (January 23).<br/> Women wearing red, the color of luck, played drums, while crowds cheered on a group of dancing dragons.<br/> The highlight of the celebration was a display of 600,000 firecrackers that were set off against the backdrop of a burning dragon.<br/> The Lunar new Year begins on January 23 and will be celebrated with 15 days of food and firecrackers, a traditional Lunar New Year practice believed to scare away evil spirits.<br/> In the Chinese zodiac, the dragon is a symbol, long associated with emperors, power and intelligence, and is believed to bring wealth and luck.
