Lunar New Year: Millions Celebrate Year Of The Dragon With Feasts, Fireworks

BEIJING -- Millions of ethnic Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese across Asia are ringing in the new Year of the Dragon with fireworks, feasting and family reunions.

From Beijing to Bangkok and Seoul to Singapore, people hoping for good luck in the new year that began Monday are visiting temples and lighting incense, setting off firecrackers and watching street performances of lion and dragon dances.

For many, the Lunar New Year is the biggest family reunion of the year for which people endured hours of cramped travel on trains and buses to get home.

In ancient times the dragon was a symbol reserved for the Chinese emperor, and it is considered to be an extremely auspicious sign.

Comments

[luxi]

06:42 AM on 01/24/2012

祝大家心想事成，笑口常开！

[Iya Sapa Mato]

09:47 PM on 01/23/2012

I'd say they have reason to celebrate! After our import/export process is so unbalanced toward the Chinese, Vietnamese and Thailand. (do you read the backs of seafood packaging) Especially with seafood products, not counting 80% of everthing else. Will this administration have us celebrating that 'Lunar new year' or will a simple Attata way to go suffice? That Bumble Bee can of Salmon skinless, boneless all lean Salmon comes from Thailand. While their can of Salmon unboned and unskinned comes from the United States. Check it out I did and got a letter from them stating just that. Does that make sense? Jobs American's won't do I surmise.

[wcaacw]

07:37 PM on 01/23/2012

I love a parade.

[annedyth]

06:15 PM on 01/23/2012

They say Dragon years are exciting and not conductive to relaxation, So far after this day,I'd agree...:)

[blackdragon471]

05:49 PM on 01/23/2012

Only a million in the east? That's not very many!

[Dancenownzen]

04:33 PM on 01/23/2012

恭喜发财！！

[LXIX WITHU]

04:09 PM on 01/23/2012

Year of the dragoon.

[firstamendment3]

03:55 PM on 01/23/2012

Romney is running for AntiChrist. You could be right.

[LXIX WITHU]

04:11 PM on 01/23/2012

You obviously meant running against the Anti-Christ, that's his first quest. Then he has to face off against Obama. However, the Anti-Christ will probably beat him. LOL

[Myoho Mod]

04:58 PM on 01/23/2012

Huh? Are you off your meds?

[Aroddo]

03:31 PM on 01/23/2012

FUS RO DAH!

[pst2868]

03:30 PM on 01/23/2012

Of the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, the Dragon is the only one not having a living represention.

[on5464]

05:16 PM on 01/23/2012

Are you sure?

Were you around at 5,000 years ago when the Chinese started to write things down, or at 150,000 years ago when the Chinese started to build permanent settlements on the plateaus of the Yellow River?

This universe is at least four dimensional. Just because you don’t live in the age of the dinosaurs, doesn’t mean there was never a creature that the Chinese called the dragon, right?

Xin Nian Hao. :-)

[mrdailydigger]

05:23 PM on 01/23/2012

Yeah but it is kind of cool and the kids were allowed were pick one.

[Candylynn Marie]

03:09 PM on 01/23/2012

I think that it is a great that they are now able to celebrate the Chinese New Year , in Indonesia!

[Razpooten]

05:00 PM on 01/23/2012

Off topic much?

[Wanku Charles Wang]

02:26 PM on 01/23/2012

Happy new year... however, sadly, crackdown on dissidents is stronger during these days as the authority don't wanna ruin the "happiness". on the CCTV show I noticed a theme -- "let all Chinese come home", while Yu Jie, an amazing talented and bold dissident just escape to USA because because of the torture and hurt from the authority.

[rltor45]

03:00 PM on 01/23/2012

don't people get tortured in the usa???

[LXIX WITHU]

04:11 PM on 01/23/2012

No, they don't.

[Razpooten]

05:01 PM on 01/23/2012

They do; ask Arpaoi's inmates, Gitmo inmates, etc.

[on5464]

02:17 PM on 01/23/2012

First of all, “Chun Jie Kuai Le” and “Xin Nian Hao”, which means Happy Spring Festival and Good New Year.

These are the current and proper Chinese greetings. The “Gong Xi Fa Cai” phrase that most Westerners heard about and are still citing, as per the comments below, is so much of a feudalistic cliché that it is such a redneck bad-form to say it. Besides, most of you good people probably don’t even know what it means and what the consequences are for saying it.

It means “Respectfully Wishing You Sir to Get Filthy Rich This New Year!!!”

See, after about five thousand years of enlightenment, the Chinese had become a very practical people, where they had figured out that money was the only thing that mattered in this world. So on new year day they go around town bowing and telling everyone else that they would get filthy rich this year. Never for a moment to think about the underlying macro-economic issue, that if everyone were to get filthy rich this year, then you the humble greeter must be the only one who is getting broke this year. As in you are the only one buying the lottery tickets, while everyone else will be hitting the jackpots.

Talking about bad karma, people. So don’t do it!!! Especially to the Chinese. Their ear-to-ear grin is not from politeness; it is instead the uncontrollable thoughts that “oh boy, these idiots are getting it this year …!”

[La Luna]

01:02 AM on 01/25/2012

You really don't need to be so sensitive about everything on China. I myself is a Chinese, and I see nothing wrong with gong xi fa cai. At least it has been used for a couple of hundred years.

As for practical, as far as I konw, it is westerners who came first with capitalism, not Chinese people.

[on5464]

12:34 PM on 01/25/2012

Ha, I would beg to differ on which one of us is actually being "sensitive" here, yes? ;-)

Anyway, I know the language well, just trust me about it. My little dissertation here was more of a satire about how cliché this Gong-Xi-Fa-Cai phrase is nowadays. Contrary to your claim that obsession with money was only a capitalistic fervor or symptom, the history and age of this ancient Chinese phrase proved that it had long existed before China has recently become the most vicious Capitalism in the history of mankind, wasn’t it? This phrase simply reflects the selfishness and greed in human nature, that had always been there even before Lucy walked on the African plains.

If I was still living in China I would have even more passionately campaigned against the use of this phrase. Because we the people of this modern and enlightened age should be well aware of the evil of wealth, and be striving for the higher purpose and spiritual rewards of being a better human being, who is righteous, productive, and kind in how we live our lives. Don’t you agree?

[La Luna]

01:04 AM on 01/25/2012

Besides, gong xi fa cai doesn't infer anything filthy. Learn Chinese well before you use it against China.

[psandysdad]

02:12 PM on 01/23/2012

"Every (ethnic slur) in 'Nam is out there shootin' off fireworks, banging gongs and visiting their dead relatives". -----Full Metal Jacket