The Federation of Italian-American Organizations hosted its annual Lunar New Year party Feb. 3.
The event, celebrating the Year of the Dragon, took place at the ll Centro Italian-American Community Center and featured dancing, performances and plenty of food.
U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, State Sen. Iwen Chu, Assemblyman Bill Colton, Councilwomen Alexa Avilés and Susan Zhuang, and 62nd Precinct cops were among the revelers.
Co-sponsors included Homecrest Community Services, Chinese American Social Services (CASS), the United Chinese Association and local leaders.
Dr. Tim Law of CASS said the New Year is very important in Asian culture.
“It means we get rid of the old and the bad and welcome the new,” Law said. “The dragon represents power, strength, prosperity and justice.”
“I am very proud of our staff, our community service partners, our political representatives and our entire community for their dedication and hard work to better the quality of life for all residents,” said FIAO President Jack Spatola.
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