The Little Girl Wishes You a Happy Year of the Dragon!

Earlier this day, my sister and I accompanied our friend to Chinatown. It’s Chinese New Year’s Eve so the place was packed with people. Because of the dragons, some of the roads were blocked. These dragons enter each store on their way to drive out the”bad energies”, thus giving the store owner some luck for the coming year. After the electrifying performance, the dragon would grab the red envelope (which contains money) hung from the ceiling with its mouth before it exits. Again, the process of retrieving the envelope is very amusing to watch.

If you haven’t seen these dragons yet, they look like huge dragon puppets and the head is worn over the upper body of a person. The person would move the head with his hands (or in longer dragons, poles) to make it appear like dancing. Another person would stand behind the first person. He would hide beneath a long veil attached to the dragon’s head, making it appear like the dragon’s body. The dragon could be as short as two persons or as long as fifty persons. Their dance steps have to be synchronized to make them appear as one moving dragon. As they dance, another group would hit the drums.

The dragon dance is being practised in Chinese communities around the world.

To all Chinese or non-Chinese readers, the little girl wishes you a prosperous, healthy, and happy Year of the Dragon!