Chinese New Year: Year of the Rooster

dragon dancers lead the parade through the streets of Chicago’s Chinatown
In this file photo from 1993, dragon dancers lead the parade through the streets of Chicago's Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rooster on Jan. 24, 1993. (AP Photo/Frank Polich)
dragon dancers lead the parade through the streets of Chicago’s Chinatown
In this file photo from 1993, dragon dancers lead the parade through the streets of Chicago's Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rooster on Jan. 24, 1993. (AP Photo/Frank Polich)

Chinese New Year: Year of the Rooster

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Saturday marked the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Each year in the Chinese calendar is associated with an animal from one of 12 rotating animals. This is the Year of the Rooster.

So what’s behind the animal tradition and the significance of the New Year for not only Chinese but Koreans and Vietnamese? And how is the New Year being celebrated here in Chicago?

Chicago writer Wen Huang joins the Morning Shift to talk about some of the lore behind the Year of the Rooster.