Animal keeper Marty Dearie carries giant panda cub Bao Bao at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC. [Photo/AFP]

Panda cub Bao Bao's public debut at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park over the Martin Luther King Jr Day weekend was a perfect start to Chinese Lunar New Year of the Horse celebrations.

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Although the Chinese New Year won't officially begin until Jan 31, the Washington zoo got into the spirit of celebration on Jan 18, extending weekend viewing hours for the popular cub, by opening two hours early, at 8 am. "It's so cute and it's my first time to see a panda cub," says Ju Qiaoling, who is visiting the United States from her home in Shanghai. She was thrilled to see Bao Bao playing with a ball.

But most zoo-goers visiting over the weekend weren't able to see the star attraction playing because the 8.62-kilogram cub - just 154 days old - sleeps up to 20 hours a day. One woman in the panda pavilion said her granddaughter saw the cub playing in the evening via the zoo's 24/7 webcam.

Bao Bao's debut has added a festive mood to the zoo, but it is just one of the numerous Chinese New Year celebrations being unveiled in Washington DC and other major US cities in the coming weeks.

On Jan 25, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, right next to DC's Chinatown, will work with the Chinese Embassy to host a Chinese New Year Family Festival as part of the museum's family activities.

The panda will be a highlight at the event, with volunteers wearing panda costumes and children receiving free panda toys and coloring games, but the program list has many other activities that are kid - and family-friendly.

A lion dance group made up of college students will start the day's festivities at 11:30 am, followed by live music on traditional Chinese instruments by the Washington Guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) Society. Visitors can also learn Chinese calligraphy, paper-cutting, dough-sculpting, lantern-making and other Chinese arts.