STORY: 2023 Hollywood Christmas Parade showcases int'l good will
SHOOTING TIME: Nov. 28, 2023
DATELINE: Nov. 29, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:24
LOCATION: LOS ANGELES, U.S.
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event

STORYLINE:

The 91st Hollywood Christmas Parade returned on Sunday night with much fanfare and fun with performers representing diverse cultures from all over the globe.
   
The annual parade was a vibrant spectacle of floats, exotic classic and movie cars, giant cartoon balloons, and celebrities galore. It formed a glittering procession that threaded its way through the heart of Tinseltown to the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators who lined the streets along its route.
   
The theme of the parade this year wasn't just a celebration of the festive holiday season, it was a tribute to heroism and community spirit.
   
"Amidst all the madness in the world today, this parade is about giving, not getting," co-host of the parade Montel Williams told Xinhua. "And maybe it'll help the world to think about giving to those less fortunate than themselves."
   
"It's the season of giving back and being kind to each other," said Paula Abdul, an American popstar dancer and singer, who received the Humanitarian Award of the parade this year.
   
Parade dancers and performers came from diverse cultures, including the bright and festive Chinese contingent organized by the Roundtable of Southern California Chinese-American Organizations (RCAO), which featured lion and dragon dancers, fan dancers, and a Han costume show.
   
"We are honored to share our warmest Chinese traditions as part of this wonderful Holiday celebration," Phoebe Chen Huang, chairwoman of RCAO, told Xinhua.
   
The parade, held since 1928, has always been more than just an entertaining family event. It supports the national "Toys for Tots" program, which began in 1947 as a way to guarantee that needy children would receive a gift on Christmas too.
   
Currently, the "Toys for Tots" program distributes an average of 18 million toys to 7 million less fortunate children annually.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Los Angeles, U.S.
(XHTV)