How My Family Celebrates Chinese New Year of the Dragon!

24 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by Lada Ray in Chinese New Year, Chinese Year of Dragon, CULTURE: China, CULTURE: World, Feng Shui

Tags

ChineseNewYear, CULTURE: China, Dragon, Dragon dance, Dragon Year, Fireworks, Hong Kong, Lion dance, New Year of the Dragon, New York Chinatown, Red Auspicious Packets

I love celebrating Chinese New Year! My husband’s family is from Hong Kong, so Chinese New Year has a special meaning for us. My husband’s parents always have auspicious red Chinese envelopes stuffed with money, waiting for us when we visit.

The family dinner includes fish, shrimp and lots of auspicious vegetables – the symbols of prosperity. The house has to be brimming with red lanterns and envelopes, as well as oranges and mandarins, also symbols of prosperity and abundance.

Whenever we get a chance, we go to New York Chinatown to watch the Dragon and Lion Dances. All Chinatown restaurants are packed, reservations being made well in advance, each restaurant trying to outdo themselves and each other with the most creative and prosperous dishes imaginable. In addition to sharing the New Year’s festivities with family, it is also a fabulous idea to share your New Year’s meal with close and dear friends.

Above: Dragon Dance

During the Chinese New Year Celebration, various ceremonies are conducted to ensure the fortunate year ahead. This includes New Year’s parades, as well as Dragon and Lion dances. My personal favorite is the Prosperity Cart Ceremony, which I learned from my Hong Kong Feng Shui teachers.

Above: Lion Dance

Traditionally, the New Year’s celebrations last 15 days. Therefore, this year, the celebrations will continue from 1/23 through 2/6.

The year 2012 is very special, as it is the year of the Dragon, considered to usher in a very powerful energy of prosperity and renewal.

During the New Year, Chinese people will greet each other with pleasant words like:

Xin nian kuai le – Happy New Year in Mandarin. Simplified Chinese: 新年快乐; trad. Chinese: 新年快樂.

Hao yun – Good Fortune. Simplified Chinese: 好运, trad. Chinese: 好運,

Kung Hei Fat Choi – Happy New Year in Cantonese (Literally: Congratulations and best wishes for a prosperous New Year!)

Cantonese language: shares the written word with Mandarin, but sounds different in its spoken version. It is the #2 dialect of China, spoken in Hong Kong and south of China.

Finally, Gong Xi (or ‘Gong Hei’ in Cantonese) means ‘Congratulations’, derived from the legend of ‘Nian’, congratulating each other to have escaped the harm of the beast.

Also, read my special posts:

‘Ultimate Energy and Power: Chinese Dragon’

‘Feng Shui Master’s Advice: Secret of True Prosperity’

Watch live! January 23 2012 Year of the Dragon Fireworks – Shangahai, China. Courtesy, Michael Edwards, who resides in Bangkok, Thailand and is currently visiting Shanghai for Chinese New Year.

I am very pleased to announce that Michael Edwards will be doing the eyewitness guest blog on 2012 New Year’s Celebrations in China right here, on Lada Ray Blog! His post will appear in the beginning of February! Don’t miss this very special event!

From our family to yours: Have a wonderful and prosperous 2012 – Year of the Water Dragon! Xin nian kuai le! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Lada Ray

Author and Feng Shui Master

January 24, 2012

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Ultimate Energy & Power: Chinese Dragon

12 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by Lada Ray in Chinese New Year, Chinese Year of Dragon, CULTURE: China, CULTURE: World, Feng Shui

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Chi, Chinese Zodiac, ChineseNewYear, Dragon, Dragon dance, Dragon Turtle, Dragon Year, Feng Shui, New Year, New York Chinatown, Year of the Dragon

Unleash the Power of the Dragon!

Original photography by Lada Ray

The Year of the Black, or Water, Dragon starts January 23, 2012. Note, the Chinese New Year Celebration normally lasts 15 days, so, January 23 is referred to as the first day of the New Year. More about how to celebrate Chinese New Year, in my future post.

The New Chinese Year is always celebrated with Dragon Dances. Each store and business in China, Hong Kong, New York’s Chinatown, as well as other Chinatowns around the world will welcome the Dragon and Lion Dancers inside during the 15 day celebration period, as it is believed to usher in the brand new, yang and auspicious energy of prosperity and success for the entire year.

And this goes double for the Year of the Dragon.

The beloved symbol of Chinese folklore and ancient art, Dragon is also considered the most recognized and important Feng Shui symbol to have in one’s home or office.

In the Imperial times, Chinese Emperor‘s robes were always decorated with a number of dragons. Because the power of the dragon was considered so overwhelming, there were restrictions, or even prohibitions on wearing clothes and displaying dragon images on part of Emperor’s subordinates, so that the power of underlings wouldn’t threaten that of the Emperor.

According to the System of 5 Elements, there are 5 types of Dragons. Each type of dragon visits us once every 60 years. Year 2012 is the year of the Water (Black) Dragon.

What to expect in the YEAR OF THE DRAGON? How does it differ from the other years of the Chinese Zodiac?

Year of the Dragon is considered one of the most powerful years for business and innovation. It ushers in more Yang – aggressive, assertive – energy, than almost any other year in the 12-year Chinese Zodiac cycle. Therefore, this year we should expect new developments in various revolutionary and alternative technologies. By the way, fellow Indie authors, this could be the year for you!

In general, starting your business is considered especially auspicious during the Year of the Dragon. This year will also be good for anything alternative.

On the other hand, the Year of the Dragon could signify more turmoil in both social and political spheres, as well as in nature. Sorry to say, natural, as well as man-made disasters won’t subside.

Famous Dragon: Vladimir Putin, who is guaranteed to win this year’s Russian Presidential Elections. For more on that, read my yesterday’s post ‘Year 2012 Predictions.’

Wishing you a Prosperous and Happy Year of the Dragon!

Remember to leave comments and subscribe to my blog!

Also, please read my future posts during THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON EXTRAVAGANZA!

Cheers to All!

Below is another beloved Chinese image, that of the Dragon Turtle, believed to combine the power of the Dragon with the Protection of the Turtle.