Friday marked the first day of the Chinese New Year, a 15 to 23 day celebration which usually involves fireworks, parades, and a huge increase in revenue to Chinese-owned businesses- particularly in New York City's Chinatown. 

2021 is the year of the Ox.

According to CNN, Chinese-owned businesses generally generate about 30 percent of their revenue over the New Year. 

However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many celebrations have been forced online, with buisness owners having far less expectation for profits. 

"It's not going to be the same or anything close to the same," said Malcolm Yeung, executive director of the San Francisco Chinatown Community Development Center, to CNN. 

But even amid lockdowns and lessened profits, members of the community are urging eachother to make the best of a bad situation. 

"Definitely we have the biggest evil of the century in COVID-19," Better Chinatown organizer Steven Tin said to Gothamist.

"We try to uplift the community. Let’s try to be happy about the holiday.”