Photos: Ringing in the Chinese New Year in D.C.

Lion dancers prance through Chinatown on Friday, Feb. 14, 2016 in celebration of the Chinese New Year. (WTOP/Dick Uliano)

Happy #ChineseNewYear Chinatown DC #wtop pic.twitter.com/1JbmKSWE1H
— Dick Uliano (@DickUliano) February 14, 2016

The scene during the Chinese New Year celebration in D.C.’s Chinatown on Friday, Feb. 14, 2016. (WTOP/Dick Uliano via Twitter) (WTOP/Dick Uliano)

Lion dancers visit businesses in D.C.’s Chinatown on Friday, Feb. 14, 2016, in celebration of the Chinese New Year. (WTOP/Dick Uliano)

Members of Alice Guzheng Ensemble signify that 2016 is the Year of the Monkey as part of the celebration of the Chinese New Year in D.C.’s Chinatown. (WTOP/Dick Uliano)

(1/4)

Share This Gallery:

WASHINGTON — Popping firecrackers and banging drums have welcomed in the Chinese New Year, the year of the Monkey in the Chinese 12-year animal zodiac cycle.

Icy-cold weather held down the size of the crowds in Chinatown, but enthusiastic celebrants gathered under the Friendship Arch at 7th and H Streets Northwest, in the heart of Chinatown.

Colorful lion dancers snaked through the streets and paid courtesy calls on Chinese businesses.

Inside the Chinatown Community Cultural Center, the graceful notes of the Alice Gu-Zheng Ensemble delighted the audience with traditional Chinese music played on guzengs, also known as Chinese zithers.

The new year is a time for families to gather — to eat, drink and celebrate. The new year also provides a fresh start, an opportunity to turn the pages of life for a new beginning.