CHINESE DRAGONS

Chinese New Year

• February 7th, 2007

• Year of the Rat

• Based on the Lunar Calendar

• Year 4706 for Chinese Calendar

Importance of Chinese New Year

• One of the most important holidays, very festive.

• Celebrations last for 15 days

• Most decorations are red because this symbolizes prosperity and good luck

• Lots of cherry blossom decorations (luck) and sunflower decorations (good new year)

Chinese New Year Festivities

• One of the biggest parade spectacles is the “Dragon Dance” where a large paper dragon puppet “dances” with the help of lots of adult puppeteers.

Why Dragons?

• Dragons are very symbolic in Chinese culture. They symbolize:– Good luck– Power– Dignity– Wisdom– Imperial authority – kindness

Basically, all of the good kinds of things that you would want in a new year!

Makings of a Chinese Dragon

• Chinese Dragons look very different from Western dragons

Chinese Dragons

• 4 claws (ordinary dragons have 4 toes, and imperial dragons have 5 toes)

• They are not evil, but kind and powerful

• Associated with water, rain, lakes, seas, oceans, and rivers

• 71 scales (81 positive yang, and 36 negative yin)

• They can fly, but do not have wings