Houston marks the Lunar New Year

Jayden Cao, 5, watches a lion dance during the Lunar New Year Family Day event Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at the Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore Blvd., in Houston. As part of the Year of the Rat celebration, activities included performances, food, shopping and art and crafts. less Jayden Cao, 5, watches a lion dance during the Lunar New Year Family Day event Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020, at the Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore Blvd., in Houston. As part of the Year of the Rat ... more Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff Photographer Photo: Melissa Phillip, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 36 Caption Close Houston marks the Lunar New Year 1 / 36 Back to Gallery

While the continued spread of the deadly coronavirus halted many festivities overseas for China, Houstonians turned out to celebrate the Lunar New Year on Saturday.

Lunar New Year, also called Chinese New Year, is the festival that celebrates the beginning on the traditional lunar calendar. The festival is usually referred to as the Spring Festival in Greater China, and is a major travel period for people.

Now, however, Beijing has cracked down on travel to stop the virus from spreading.

OTHER PARTIES: Houston-area groups host Lunar New Year celebrations

The pneumonialike illness officially has hit nearly 1,300 people in mainland China, killing at least 41. More than 20 other cases have been confirmed worldwide, including five in Hong Kong, two in the United States, three in France and one in Australia. Two college students in Texas are suspected of being infected, but their cases have not been confirmed.

According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of the rat, which runs until Feb. 11, 2021. Anyone born in this year will be optimistic and “energetic in character.”

The Year of the Rat also has an elemental symbol assigned to the occasion according to a 12-year cycle, with five elements in total: Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood. This year, 2020, is part of the Metal cycle, making it a Metal Rat Year, which occurs only once every 60 years.