In New York, the landmark Empire State Building was glowing red, blue and yellow on Monday and Tuesday for the Chinese New Year. It is for the 19th consecutive year that the 443-meter skyscraper above midtown Manhattan shone in honor of the Chinese New Year.

The light show event will allow "native New Yorkers to experience a bit of beauty of the Chinese traditional cultural festival," said Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping.

In Times Square, an array of calligraphers from both China and the United States on Tuesday gave away their handwritings of "Fu," a Chinese character meaning fortune and luck, and red scarfs printed with the same character to hundreds of visitors at the "Crossroad of the World." Receivers of the gifts, upon learning the meaning of Fu character, were filled with joy and expressed their best wishes to the Chinese people around the world.