Chinese New Year

Year of the Dragon 2012 begins on January 23, 2012 and ends on February 9, 2013.
The Year 2012 is the 4709th Chinese year. The Chinese believe that the first king of China was the Yellow King (he was not the first emperor of China). The Yellow King became king in 2697 B.C., therefore China will enter the 4709th year on January 23, 2012.
The order of the animals: Rat, Cow, Tiger, Dragon, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig
Chinese New Year is a very old celebration, a time for repaying debts, enjoying feasts, giving "red envelopes" of lucky money to friends and relatives, and remembering ancestors.

The preparation to celebrate the Chinese New Year festival begins around 8th day of 12th lunar month. The last day of the Chinese New Year festival is on the 15th day of first lunar month. That means it required about three weeks to prepare the festival and 15 days to celebrate it. Traditionally, a Chinese man works outside for living and his wife takes care everything inside home. A month is not long enough for a housewife to clean entire house, put new interior and exterior decoration, prepare new clothes and gifts for all family members, and food for many events. You can image that Chinese New Year festival combines Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year Day together.
To understand more about 15-day Chinese New Year festival, we need to know some Chinese culture background first. Thousands of years ago, China was mainly an agriculture society. Each year, the dynasty government announced annual calendar for farmers. The calendar contained the solar, lunar and weather information for people to know when to seed, plant, harvest on their land and even when to work, rest, pray and celebrate for their activities. Obviously, farmers know they count on sky for their living. The sky is connected to heaven and heaven is related to religion. The major activity of the religion is to pray to gods for good luck, wealth, health, wisdom, career, longevity, peace, happiness at temple or home.
http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2012.htm
In Chinese astrology the dragon is the only animal of the Chinese zodiac year that is not real.
In Chinese astrology the dragon is quite special and very much revered.

The dragon holds special significance for the Chinese people.

More than 4,000 years ago, there were two large tribes and many smaller tribes in China. The tribes had animals as emblems. The two large tribes unified and chose the dragon as their symbol. In fact, the Han Chinese still call themselves the de-scendants of the Dragon.
In Chinese astrology the dragon was seen as a powerful almighty king because it was made up of different parts of animals such as a tiger, fish, snake and an eagle.
herefore in Chinese astrology the dragon person born under this Chinese Zodiac sign tends to be a "doer" – they do things and achieve power by getting things done.

A dragon can breathe out fire so the person born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon can be a hothead. Watch out if you make them angry!

However, the dragon has a soft underbelly and so in Chinese astrology the dragon person born in this Chinese Zodiac year has a "soft spot" to them. They may get angry at someone who annoys them but they also show great compassion to people in need.

So in Chinese astrology the dragon person born in this Chinese Zodiac year has a sharp tongue – they will say things that can be quite sarcastic and biting.
http://www.about-sichuan-china.com/year-of-the-dragon.html

The Dragon Dance
Dragons are of course legendary animals, but they are important to Chinese people who think of dragons as helpful, friendly creatures. They are linked to good luck, long life and wisdom. They are nothing like the fierce, fire-breathing Western dragons that carry off princesses and eat people. Chinese Dragons are associated with storm clouds and life-giving rain. They have special powers so they can fly in the air, swim in the sea and walk on land. The Dragon has features of other animals such as the horns of a stag, the scales of a fish and the footpads of a tiger.
Dragon dances are performed at New Year to scare away evil spirits. During the dance the performers hold poles and raise and lower the Dragon. Sometimes one man has a 'Pearl of Wisdom' on a pole and he entices the Dragon to follow him to the beat of a drum, as if searching for wisdom and knowledge.
Dragons used in Dragon dances vary in length from a few metres to up to 100m long. Longer Dragons are thought to be more lucky than shorter ones. The dances can be performed either during the day or night, but at night a blazing torch will be carried to light the way.
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/dragondance.aspx
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/Songs.aspx You Tube – Dragon Dance
Chinese Dragon Dance
During the Chinese New Year, the Dragon Dance is one of the most anticipated events of the holiday. In the Chinese culture, dragons are frightening in appearance and yet benevolent in character. They are believed to possess supernatural powers and are capable of bringing good luck, life-giving rain, fertility, dignity and wisdom. It is also the symbol of imperial authority.
History of the Dragon Dance
The Chinese Dragon Dance began during the Han Dynasty which lasted from 206 BC to 24 AD. In those ancient days it was performed by the people of China specifi-cally to please their ancestors and to insure sufficient rain for a plentiful crop. In this way they hoped to protect against hunger and sickness.
Over time the Dragon Dance became a central feature in Chinese celebrations with different colors symbolizing different characteristics or desired features.
* Red for excitement
* Green for good harvest
* Yellow for solemn empire
* Gold or silver for prosperity
The tail and scales of the dragon tend to be silver in color with a glittery quality, which creates a festive and joyous atmosphere for the celebration.
Legend of the Dragon Dance
It is said that the Dragon King once had pain that encircled his waist. The condition persisted even though he had taken medication for it. Desperate for relief the Dragon King decided to take on human form in order to seek help from a doctor. The doctor recognized that his patient was not human and so the Dragon King turned back into a dragon. The doctor helped the dragon by operating on the trouble spot and using medication to help the dragon heal.
The Dragon King was so grateful for the doctor’s help that he said, “Dance in the form of a dragon to insure good weather and a plentiful harvest.” From then on the people performed the Dragon Dance to protect against poor harvest, sickness and starvation.
The Dragon Dance of the Chinese New Year is a well-choreographed event whose difficulty is dependent upon the performers’ skill. The length of the dragon indicates just how much luck it will bring in the coming year, but a longer dragon requires more performers with great skill as an error by one can ruin the entire performance. The dragon is typically between 82 and 229 feet long. The head along can weigh as much as 31 pounds! Clearly strength and skill are both required in performing the Chinese Dragon Dance.
http://chinesenewyear2012.net/chinese-dragon-danceChinese Lion Dance
The Chinese New Year celebration always includes a traditional Lion and Dragon dance.
Lions and Dragons are considered good luck according to Chinese traditions, and the Chinese Lion Dance has been an important part of drawing luck to the commu-nity since the Han Dynasty nearly two-thousand years ago.

What is The Lion and Dragon Dance?
The Lion and Dragon dance is performed by a group of dancers holding wooden poles that are attached to a long paper dragon or lion. The dancers use the poles to move the dragon by performing carefully choreographed moves, which makes the animal come alive in the hands of the talented dancers. The lion and dragon are both considered to be powerful animals that are able to chase away the negative energies and bad luck of the past year.
The Dragon and Lion dance traditionally brings in wealth, strength, luck, and success to the community when performed on the New Year. The dance is done each New Year to chase away evil spirits that can interfere with success and auspiciousness, and to purify the chi for a positive, lucky energy to replace the old chi that may be hindered by negativity.
The Lion and Dragon dance is also done any time when people wish to clear a space of negative energies or to promote success. For example, you may have the dancers come into a new business space to perform the Lion and Dragon Dance to ensure success for your business.

The Lion Dance
The Lion Dance, which is performed differently than the Dragon Dance, allows dancers to show their agility as they jump between poles and perform Kung Fu while managing to move in unison with other dancers. The choreography of the Lion and Dragon dance is very important because the dance gives the illusion of the animal moving fluidly and powerfully.
The Lion Dance typically has two dancers that hold the head and tail of the lion, while the other dancers mimic the movements of the lions’ body in the center.
There are two different and unique styles of the Lion dance, one that is performed in the north and one that is performed in the south. The Dragon Dance is often much larger than the Lion Dance, but still requires dancers to move in unison to give the illusion of a fluidly moving animal.
With so little space to move in under the Dragon, which is a often done under a full dragon rather than just the head and tail, dancers need to practice for many months in order to create the image of a dragon moving through the crowds that gather to watch during festivals and holidays.
New Year with the Dragon
The Chinese Lion Dance is almost always a part of the New Year celebration in China. This dance is an important part of bringing good luck and fortune to the community during the upcoming year. People will gather during the festival to watch the Lion and Dragon dance to help drive out old negativity and bring in great successes for the future.
http://chinesenewyear2012.net/chinese-lion-dance
Chinese Customs
Like eating certain foods and participating in certain activities is traditional during the Chinese New Year, there are also traditions that outline the responsibilities of a son or daughter at Chinese New Year, as well.
Sons and daughters are taught from birth to honor their elders, and are given a set of duties that they carry out each year when it is time to welcome the Spring Festival.





Modern Traditions
One of the more modern responsibili-ties of a son or daughter at Chinese New Year is to travel home to spend the New Year with family. Chinese customs relies heavily on filial piety, which means that the children honor and respect their elders, who are in charge of the family through-out their life.
On New Year’s Eve it is common for the children to come from near and far for a reunion dinner that includes traditional Chinese foods, such as a whole fish. The reunion dinner is traditionally celebrated in the home of one of the elders of the family, such as the grandparent’s home.
During the second day of the New Year, women are expected to visit their birth families. Traditionally, after marriage a daughter becomes a part of the husband’s family and may not be able to travel home to see her parents often.
This is one time a year that a visit to parents is widely accepted and was even en-couraged during ancient times when the wife was needed at home to perform nec-essary chores and duties. Children are also part of the tradition of honoring the an-cestors during the holiday.
Honoring Ancestors
During the first day of the New Year celebration, children follow the lead of the par-ent to honor their ancestors. One of the responsibilities of a son or daughter at Chi-nese New Year is to offer gifts and perform the ceremony to offer food and gifts to five generations of ancestors.
Children wait for their parents to begin the ceremony, then bow three times in front of the alter to honor their ancestors. The entire family participates in this ceremony, and may visit the temple to honor gods during the first day of the new year.

Giving the Gift of Prosperity
Angpao is a tradition that involved giving money to parents. In many families it is customary for the children to give the parents money, which the parents often return in greater portions. It is important that the money the parents give to the children is their own money, instead of returning the same bills that they have received from their children.

This tradition is one of the responsibilities of a son or daughter at Chinese New Year, but occasionally parents or employers give angpao without children returning the gift. In China, monetary gifts are given in red envelopes to ward off back luck and ensure prosperity.
The responsibilities of a son or daughter at Chinese New Year vary from country to country. For example, Angpao is given in Taiwan, while red envelopes are more commonly passed from the older generation to the younger generation in China.
These are just a few of the many Chinese customs and traditions followed by a typi-cal Chinese family.
http://chinesenewyear2012.net/chinese-customs
Chinese New Year Customs
Chinese New Year is a time when families get together to celebrate. It is also a spe-cial time to remember members of the family who have died. In the days coming up to New Year every family buys presents, decorations, food, new clothes and people have their hair cut. Houses are cleaned from top to bottom. The aim is to sweep out any bad luck from the old year and clear the way for good luck. However, it is bad luck to clean on New Years Day itself.
Families put lights up outside their homes, rather like our Christmas lights. Doors and windows are often newly painted in red. On New Years Eve decorations made from red and gold paper are hung down the doors to bring good luck. These are marked with messages of good fortune such as happiness, prosperity and long life. These mostly have four Chinese characters. These are called Hui Chun. The man in the photograph is writing a message for a cus-tomer at his stall.
chinapictures.org
The colour red is chosen for two reasons. The first is because red is a lucky colour and the second because it is supposed to frighten off the monster Nian who is thought to come on New Year’s Eve. The colour gold represents wealth. Families also decorate their homes with lanterns and put stickers on things in their homes.
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/chinesenewyear/Customs.aspx
The Lion Dance
Street celebrations often include a traditional lion dance which is thought to bring good luck. There are usually two dancers. One acts as the head and the other the body. They dance to a drum, cymbals and a gong. On the head of the lion is mirror so that evil spirits will be frightened away by their own reflections. As the lion runs along the streets he begins to visit different places. On his way he meets another person, the ‘Laughing Buddha’ who is dressed in monk’s robes and a mask. He teases the lion with a fan made of banana-leaves which makes the lion jump around. The lion dancers need to be very fit. As the lion moves from place to place he looks for some green vegetables such as lettuce which are hung above the doors of houses or businesses. Hidden in the leaves is a red packet of money. The lion eats the lettuce and red packet. He then scatters lettuce leaves to symbolize a fresh start for the new year and the spreading of good luck.
http://chinesenewyear2012.net/chinese-customs
Of course the biggest festival of the year was in February. That was Chinese New Year when all the shops had new red and gold good luck papers on their doors, everything was cleaned and most shops closed for several days except for those selling candy, apples and melon seeds for people to give to others they visited. All the children were bought new clothes, given red and gold packets with money inside and the village was full of loud lion dances for days. Competing associations would sponsor lions who would dance past each other to and from the temple, stopping at the Earth God Altar, the Kaifong Association, and the shops.
In the temple to the Sea Goddess all the Taoist gods, including the God of Wealth, who wore a tall white hat upon which were written the Chinese characters, “One glance brings wealth,” were cleaned and all wore red ribbons. Firecrackers came at midnight of the New Year in spite of a government ban on them, and the noise of the lion dances went on for days as well as special gonging and drumming from the temple. And soon after the New Year it was the season of wind, and boys flew diamond shaped red and white flimsy kites in the late afternoon on the beach in front of our apartment.
http://gwulo.com/node/9463
The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. A symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power, the Oriental Dragon is regarded as a divine beast In Eastern philosophy, the Dragon is said to be a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. Therefore, those people born in Dragon years are to be honored and respected.


Fifth in the cycle, Dragon Years follow the Rabbit
Conformation is a Dragon's curse. Rules and regulations are made for other people. Restrictions blow out the creative spark that is ready to flame into life. Dragons must be free and uninhibited. The Dragon is a beautiful creature, colorful and flamboyant. An extroverted bundle of energy, gifted and utterly irrepressible, everything Dragons do is on a grand scale - big ideas, ornate gestures, extreme ambitions. However, this behavior is natural and isn't meant for show. Because they are confident, fearless in the face of challenge, they are almost inevitably successful. Dragons usually make it to the top. However, Dragon people be aware of their natures. Too much enthusiasm can leave them tired and unfulfilled. Even though they are willing to aid when necessary, their pride can often impede them from accepting the same kind of help from others. Dragons' generous personalities give them the ability to attract friends, but they can be rather solitary people at heart. A Dragon's self-sufficiency can mean that he or she has no need for close bonds with other people.
http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Dragon.htm
While Dragons frequently help others, rarely will they ask for help. Others are attracted to Dragons, especially their colorful personalities, but deep down, Dragons prefer to be alone. Perhaps that is because they’re most successful when working alone. Their preference to be alone can come across as arrogance or conceitedness, but these qualities aren’t applicable. Dragons have tempers that can flare fast!
Influence on Cromwell
Chinese settlement in New Zealand
Following the departure of thousands of European miners for goldfields in Marlbor-ough and the West Coast, the Otago Provincial Council in 1865 invited Chinese working on the Victorian goldfields, to rework the Otago goldfields.
Most originated from Kwangtung Province in South China – an area which had social turmoil caused by the opium wars, over-population, poverty, banditry, clan fighting, natural disasters and epidemics. There were many incentives to emigrate, and gold provided the stimulus.
There have been three phases of Chinese settlement in New Zealand. The first pe-riod covers 1865 to 1900, when the Chinese regarded themselves as temporary visi-tors seeking gold. They tended to have little interaction with Europeans.
The second phase covers the period from 1900 to 1952 when they were regarded as aliens in the land, and were occupied principally on market gardens, fruit shops or laundries. The last phase from 1952 relates to their present assimilation and increasing absorption into the general New Zealand community.
The NZ-Chinese population peaked at 5000 about 1880. Virtually all were men, and goldminers. This can be compared with the 100,000 who settled in California, and 50,000 who settled in Australia during the 1850’s.
Because they were late arrivals they were obliged to rework old mining claims aban-doned by the Europeans. Generally they were content to work for a steady return rather than chase the elusive bonanza.
The early Chinese had to contend with considerable malevolent and bureaucratic racial discrimination. However, there was little direct violence such as had been ex-perienced in the United States and Australia. The anti-Chinese agitation in New Zealand resulted in the passing of a number of immigration Acts from 1881 onwards, with the subsequent decline in the population. By 1901 there were 3000 Chinese in New Zealand, mostly males and generally an aged, dispirited and declining group.

Chinese settlement in Cromwell
The first Chinese arrived in Cromwell via Dunedin in 1866, some four years after the founding of the township. They initially set up camp near Gibraltar Roack in the Cromwell gorge, but by 1870 some Chinese storekeepers had established them-selves at the upper (west) end of Cromwell’s main street, Melmore Terrace on the (true left) banks of the Kawarau River. This gradually formed the nucleus of Crom-well’s ‘Chinatown’.
Most miners preferred to live in rock shelters adjacent to their workings in the river gorges. These shelters comprised walling up to front of the rock overhangs with slabs of schist. In areas where there were no natural overhangs they built small stone huts.
Before it was destroyed to make way for Lake Dunstan behind the Clyde Dam, Cromwell’s Chinatown was the best preserved example of a New Zealand Chinese urban settlement. It also had the greatest longetivity of some fifty years. Shops were established along Melmore Terrace, while a residential area was formed below on the steep banks of the Kawarau River.
The business sector included general stores, grog shops, gaming rooms, and at least one brothel. The area extended for some 150 metres along the southern side of Melmore Terrace. A substantial Chinese market garden was established across the road. The largely wooden stores and businesses were deserted by the turn of the century, and were demolished in 1930 because they were considered a health risk.
The closure of the Chinese stores had a detrimental effect on the life of the remain-ing citizens in the residential (lower) area of Chinatown. The predominantly stone dwellings were gradually deserted about 1920 as old miners left or died. After aban-donment, the buildings gradually decayed, hastened by the removal of the roofing iron. The shady location of the site favoured rapid vegetation growth and the site gradually became overgrown.
Cemetery records indicate the last Chinese burial in Cromwell was in 1924 – proba-bly representing the end of the Cromwell Chinese era. Between 1863 and 1938 there were 85 deaths of Chinese registered out of a total of 1300.
Cromwell’s Chinatown was excavated in 1980 by a team of archaeologists from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. The site was programmed for destruction as part of the lakeshore works associated with the formation of Lake Dunstan. The excava-tion uncovered 20 huts, 6 suspected huts, several sections of stone revetted ter-races, a spring, and two possible shafts. The excavations concentrated on the interi-ors and immediate surrounds of the huts, with smaller sampling undertaken on gar-den terraces and dumps. A wealth of structural and material remains was uncovered, catalogued and recorded.

Chinese New Year
The celebration of festivals, often governed by important events in the lunar year, was and still remains an important part of the Chinese way of life. Three main festi-vals were held each year. Although they had religious significance, feasting and recreational activities such as gambling and opium smoking, were the main concerns.
The three festivals were the Chinese New Year (outlined below); the summer sol-stice celebration (Tung-chi); and the T’sing Ming (Worship of the Tombs) which as an annual pilgrimage undertaken about April 4th to the graveyard of ancestors.
The Chinese New Year was the main festival in the annual cycle. It was usually held in February and involved several days holiday. Big feasts were held at each of the Chinese settlements, pigs would be killed and eaten, and Chinese delicacies consumed in abundance.
Vast amounts of red paper were used during the festival to signify good luck. Red paper inscriptions were pasted on doors and walls, letters were written on re paper, delivered in red envelopes, and stamped with red ink. Presents were wrapped in red paper.
During the festival the Chinese visited each other as well as attending to the old tra-dition of paying one’s debts. Firecrackers were often let off to discourage demons from entering houses, but local ordinances ensured that the amount of noise and revelry in the goldfield towns was very limited compared to the ‘commotion’ during these festival celebrations in China.
Festivities usually started with the beating of tom-toms and the firing-off of crackers. The great feast was prepared with tables laid out with ‘every delicacy of the season’ such as fruits, jellies. wines, poultry etc etc. The time for ‘letting off steam’ and relax-ing consisted mainly of playing dominos, cards, billiards and fan-tan. Opium pipes were freely dispensed, even to small boys.
There was little variation from one mining area to another in the way the festivals were celebrated. All involved feasting and drinking, letting off crackers, and some-times food was offered at shrines in individual huts, before being consumed. If they could afford to, most men took the days off work.
The days for celebrating the various festivals were determined by reference to the Chinese Almanac which was always imported, and provided the dates for the following year’s celebrations. It also indicated ‘auspicious days’ for doing various activities.

http://www.cromwell.org.nz/about-cromwell/Chinese-influence-on-Cromwell.aspx
About Chinese New Year
The Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world by the many cultures that ob-serve the lunar calendar. Festivities begin on the first new moon of spring (in the northern hemisphere) or autumn (in the southern hemisphere), and end 15 days later as the full moon rises in the sky.
Greet people with Happy New Year to bring good fortune and prosperity:
Kung Hei Fat Choy – Cantonese
Gong Xi Far Tsai – Mandarin
Sae Hae Bok Manee Badusaeyo – Korean
Chúc Mừng Năm Mới – Vietnamese
Lunar New Year Traditions & Customs
There are many traditions and customs associated with the festival, here are some of the commonly practiced that you might like to try:
• Wear new clothes on New Year’s Day (January 23 in 2012) and be on your best behaviour, as actions on this day set the tone for the year to follow.
• Enjoy a new year banquet, keeping an empty seat to symbolise the presence of family members who can’t be there.
• Eat fish on the eve of Chinese New Year (January 22), and keep some stored for the next day. The Chinese phrase “may there be surpluses every year” sounds the same as “may there be fish every year”.
• Enjoy a bowl of traditional Korean duk gook, a soup of thinly sliced rice cakes, to represent a clean start to the new year.
• Serve uncut noodles as they represent longevity.
• Wear red, as the colour scares away evil spirits and bad fortune.
• Give red lai-see (“lucky money”) envelopes to pass on prosperity and good luck.
• Clean your house and sweep out the bad luck of the previous year.
• Decorate your house with apricot and peach blossom, symbolic for new be-ginnings and sold during Vietnamese Tet.
• Say farewell to the Kitchen God, the guardian of the family hearth. As he re-ports to heaven on the behaviour of the family over the past year, make sure to feed him sweet foods and honey, either as a bribe, or to seal his mouth and prevent him from saying bad things.
• Pay off all debts and cast aside all grudges.
http://www.sydneychinesenewyear.com/about/

“The Legend of Fat Mama” is a bittersweet story of the Chinese community in Kol-kata, India, intertwined with the nostalgic journey in search of a woman who once made the most delicious noodles in the city’s Chinatown district. Kolkata once had a thriving community in its Chinatown, engaged in different trades, like medicine shops, food and shoemaking.

Though a small number of Chinese still live there, many of them left India in the aftermath of the 1962 India-China war. Thriving street food, disappearing family-run eateries, mahjong clubs, a Chinese printing press that has shut down and its hand-written counterpart that continues to deliver the news every morning, and the first all-woman dragon dance group preparing for the Chinese New Year make up the Chinese heritage in Kolkata.

http://www.sunilshibad.com/2010/01/legend-of-fat-mama.html

Years of the Dragon
Fifth in the cycle, Dragon Years follow the Rabbit and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year does not fall on a specific date, so it is essential to check the cal-endar to find the exact date on which each Dragon Year actually begins
1904 * 1916 * 1928 * 1940 * 1952 * 1964 * 1976 * 1988 * 2000
THE SIGN OF THE DRAGON
The key to the Dragon personality is that Dragons are the free spirits of the Zodiac. Conformation is a Dragon's curse. Rules and regulations are made for other people. Restrictions blow out the creative spark that is ready to flame into life. Dragons must be free and uninhibited. The Dragon is a beautiful creature, colorful and flamboyant. An extroverted bundle of energy, gifted and utterly irrepressible, everything Dragons do is on a grand scale - big ideas, ornate gestures, extreme ambitions. However, this behavior is natural and isn't meant for show. Because they are confident, fearless in the face of challenge, they are almost inevitably successful. Dragons usually make it to the top. However, Dragon people be aware of their natures. Too much enthusiasm can leave them tired and unfulfilled. Even though they are willing to aid when necessary, their pride can often impede them from accepting the same kind of help from others. Dragons' generous personalities give them the ability to attract friends, but they can be rather solitary people at heart. A Dragon's self-sufficiency can mean that he or she has no need for close bonds with other people.
THE WATER DRAGON 1952 AND 2012
Water has a calming effect on the Dragon's fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Drag-ons. Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other people. However, their actions can go wrong if they do not research or if they do not finish one project before starting another.
Year of the Dragon roars into Asia
AFP Updated January 23, 2012, 7:13 pm
BEIJING (AFP) - A billion-plus Asians welcomed the Year of the Dragon on Monday with a cacophony of fireworks, hoping the mightiest sign in the Chinese zodiac will usher in the wealth and power it represents.
From Malaysia to South Korea, millions of people travelled huge distances to reunite with their families for Lunar New Year -- the most important holiday of the year for many in Asia -- indulging in feasts or watching dragon dances.
As the clock struck midnight, Beijing's skyline lit up with colour as families across the Chinese capital set off boxes and boxes of fireworks to ward off evil spirits in the new year -- a scene repeated across the country.
Pollution levels in the city, which has come under fire for its bad air quality, spiked in the early hours of Monday morning as fireworks filled the skies with particulates, before falling back down again, official data showed.
Those living in the Philippines, meanwhile, were able to sleep in on Monday after the Lunar New Year became an official holiday for the first time, despite objections from some in the business community.
The dragon is the most favourable and revered sign in the 12-year Chinese zodiac -- a symbol of royalty, fortune and power that is also used in other cultures that see in the Lunar New Year, such as in Vietnam.
As such, hospitals across China and in Chinese communities are bracing for a baby boom as couples try to have a child this year.
Nannies in Beijing and neighbouring Tianjin are charging more in 2012, and the beds in the capital's Maternity Hospital are all booked up until August, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong even took advantage of the Dragon to call on the country's residents to boost a stubbornly low birth rate, in an attempt to reduce the government's heavy reliance on foreign workers.
"I fervently hope that this year will be a big Dragon Year for babies... This is critical to preserve a Singapore core in our society," he said in his new year message.
But in Hong Kong, where tens of thousands of pregnant mainlanders come to give birth every year to gain residency rights for their babies, the Dragon may not prove such a boon as it could exacerbate problems such as limited beds and soaring delivery costs.
And according to some astrologers and geomancers, the Dragon may bring natural disasters and financial volatility to an already destabilised world.
Hong Kong feng shui master Anthony Cheng warned a "scandalous corruption case" would rock China in the second half of 2012, and also said high-ranking Chinese officials would be forced to step down, thrown behind bars or even die.
But people across Asia disregarded the doomsday predictions over the holiday, pre-ferring to feast and celebrate with their families, and pray at temples or pagodas.
Highways in Malaysia, where 25 percent of the population is ethnic Chinese, were clogged at the weekend while the capital Kuala Lumpur became almost deserted as people travelled home.
In South Korea, which also celebrates the Lunar New Year, more than half of the entire population -- or some 31 million people -- took to roads, railways and planes for the holiday.
But stores in the capital Seoul -- normally quiet at this time of year -- bustled with activity as tens of thousands of tourists from China swamped major shopping areas to spend an expected 100 billion won ($88 million) in January.
"I feel like I'm walking on the street in China. There are so many of them," Park Eun-Yong, a South Korean college student, told AFP.
Chinese tourists also flocked to Tokyo, where interpreters in Mitsukoshi -- one of Japan's most prestigious department stores -- were on hand to help with purchases and announcements were made in Mandarin.