Dragons float among flowers at the Rose Parade

In California, the annual Rose Parade this year has also attracted some dragons — on a float, that is.

The Rose Parade has been a New Year's Day tradition in the United States since the 1800s.

It is held before the Rose Bowl college football game, which featured a thrilling playoff game at the Rose Bowl Stadium on Monday, in which the Michigan Wolverines defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 27-20 in overtime in one of the most watched games in history.

A total of 39 floats took part in this year's parade — the 135th — with spectacular symbolism on display. Since its inception in 1890, the Rose Parade has been a dazzling showcase of creativity.

This year's parade featured several young Chinese participants, including some from Alhambra, California. The diverse community is home to an Asian American population of more than 45,000 and has strong ties to the Chinese community.

The inspiration for the city's Dragon Music float came from Shannon Tan, a seventh grader at Ramona Elementary School.

The giant dragon, surrounded by musical notes and instruments, clutched a globe with its claw and stood protectively over a sleeping baby dragon, which symbolized peace and unity.

Lyrical Call of Nature, a float from Torrance, California, depicted baby birds calling for their mother. While responding to their calls, the mother bird creates "a beautiful song found in nature", said Jodie Cheng, a young artist from West High School.

Cheng's design was among 16 submitted to the Torrance Rose Float Association last fall when a design contest was opened to students in all five high schools in the Torrance Unified School District.

Inga, a newcomer to the US, told China Daily that it was fascinating to see the design, as it brought her back home. "What remains fresh in my memory is that there used to be a similar bird's nest next to my house in my hometown," she said. "And everything of the design was made from natural trees, flowers and seeds. It's beautiful."

The parade began with a performance featuring some popular singers and artists, making its way along the traditional 8.85-kilometer route, moving east along Colorado Boulevard to northbound Sierra Madre Boulevard, ending at Villa Street.

Alex Aghajanian, president of the Tournament of Roses Association, said music is the one language that unites people across different cultures, and represents their beliefs, hopes and dreams.