On Sunday the Year of the Tiger was welcomed to Virtual Mayfair and Hyde Park with a traditional Chinese New Year lion parade around the sims. Traditional, but with a couple of Second Life twists.  All those who wished to be in the parade were given a section of the lion and could join in, a very inclusive and fun approach. I was given a section, but decided to observe and photograph instead (I am challenged; I cannot walk and take pictures at the same time).  But that was just as much fun for me. And, in another nod to the realities of SL, it was decided that the parade would be unscripted, so people just walked under their own power. In Second Life, scripting can be used to control avatar movements. For instance, when an avatar dances, scripting, which is a kind of program, makes the avatar move in a certain sequence. It is very effective, but can cause lag, so in this case avatars walked because each individual behind the avatar actually pushed the direction keys on the keyboard.

Mayfair and Hyde Park were decorated for the occasion with red lanterns. A huge dragon reared up over the entrance to Hyde Park, dominating the skyline of both sims.

There was the usual confusion of getting everyone together at the start, but then a very nice lion did take form and the group was off, moving from the Coach and Horses along Dover Street to the entrance to Hyde Park. The group then turned into Hyde Park and marched through there, winding their way around towards an exit back into Mayfair. Unfortunately right then a region restart began, so the group scattered and I returned home.

This was a very SL event in every respect, a bit laggy, a bit experimental, but welcoming to all, entertaining and a great way to start off the New Year.