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Chinese New Year 2010.

 

 

Chinese New Year 2010.

 

 

 

 

Chinese New Year 2010.

Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume.

The lion costume may be operated by a single dancer, or more frequently by a pair of dancers. The single dancer springs about while energetically moving and shaking the head and operating the jaws and eyes. The pair of dancers, forming the back and fore legs of the beast, mimic the motions of a single animal as they move between platforms of varying elevations. The dance is traditionally accompanied by gongs, drums and firecrackers, representing the descent of good luck.

 

 

 

 

Once ignited, the firecracker lets out a loud popping noise and, as they are usually strung together by the hundreds, the firecrackers are known for their deafening explosions that are thought to scare away evil spirits.

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nien. Nien would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nien ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nien was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nien was afraid of the colour red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nien. From then on, Nien never came to the village again.

 

 

 

 

 

Chinese New Year 2010.

 

 

 
 

Chinese New Year 2010.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Chinese New Year 2010.

In the dance, a team of people carry the dragon on poles. A dragon can be composed of up to 50 people. The dance team does mimic the supposed movements of this river spirit in a sinuous, undulating manner. The movements in a performance traditionally symbolise historical roles of dragons demonstrating power and dignity. The dragon dance is a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations held worldwide in Chinatowns around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Chinese New Year 2010

The Dragon Dance originated during the Han Dynasty and was started by the Chinese who had shown great belief and respect towards the dragon. It is believed to have begun as part of the farming and harvest culture. 

 

From its origins in combining stylized depictions of natural animals, the Chinese dragon evolved to become a mythical creature revered in Chinese culture. Its physical form is a combination of many animals, including the horns of a stag, ears of a bull, eyes of a rabbit, claws of a tiger and the scales of a fish, all on a long serpent’s body. With these traits, it was believed that dragons were amphibious with the ability to move on land, fly through the air and swim in the sea, bestowing them roles as governors of clouds and rain.

 

As the dragon gives people a feeling of great respect, it is often called the Sacred Dragon. The emperors of ancient China considered themselves as the dragon. The Dragon is also the emblem of Imperial Authority. It symbolizes supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance and dignity.

 

 
 

Chinese New Year 2010.

  

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of a Golden Tiger, which begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011.The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs.  It is a sign of courage. This fearless and fiery fighter is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts. On New Year's day itself, it is beneficial to celebrate, to be happy, to have smiling faces, and to refrain from scowling, quarrelling, or criticizing anyone.

 

The Tiger is one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, and is feared and revered in equal measure.  It features in many Asian cultures as a manifestation of courage, power, passion and royalty.  In Feng Shui, it is one of the four celestial animals where it takes its place as the White Tiger. The other three celestial animals are the Green Dragon, Red Phoenix and Black Tortoise.  The Tiger symbolizes the female Yin energy as opposed to the Yang male energy of the dragon.

Courageous, active, and self-assured.  Optimistic, passionate and independent. Rebellious, dynamic, and unpredictable. Quick tempered but considerate.  Affectionate but careless.  The Tiger is a natural born leader and symbolizes power, passion and daring.

According to feng shui experts or geomancers, the Year of the white Yang Metal Tiger is one of conflict.

“The coming year will be the year that Asians fear,” said local feng shui expert Marites Allen. “It will bring political riots in many countries, especially in the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand where there might be political instability and leadership changes.”

But when it comes to love and romance, the Year of the Tiger appears promising. Quite auspiciously, it starts on Feb. 14, St. Valentine’s Day.

 

Mr. Lim the actual mayor of Manila during Chinese New Year in Binondo distibuting "red envelopes". The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. 

Chinese New Year 2010

Binondo is an enclave in Manila primarily populated by Chinese immigrants living in the Philippines. Historically, the place called Parían near Intramuros was where the unconverted Chinese immigrants (called Sangley by the Spaniards) lived while Binondo was the place where the converted sangleys and their descendants, the mestizos de sangley or Chinese mestizos resided.

Binondo is located across the Pasig River from Intramuros and the home of Chinatown in Manila. The district is the center of commerce and trade for all types of businesses run by Chinese merchants. It is said that this district was already a hub of Chinese commerce even before the Spaniards came in 1571.

The word Binondo came from the word Binundok which means mountain or boondocks.

Source: wikipedia.

 

A Filipino Chinese or "Tsinoy" derived from two words: "Tsino" (meaning "Chinese") and "Pinoy" (the slang word for "Filipino") is a Filipino of Chinese ethnicity but born/raised in the Philippines.

The Chinese Filipinos has always been one of the largest ethnic Filipino groups in the country with Chinese immigrants comprising the largest group of immigrant settlers in the Philippines. They are one of the three major ethnic groupings in the Philippines, namely: Christian Filipinos (73% of the population), Muslim Filipinos (5% of the population) and Chinese Filipinos (22% of the population). Today, most Chinese Filipinos are locally born.

 

The Chinese in the Philippines are mostly business owners and their life centers mostly in the family business. These mostly small or medium enterprises play a significant role in the Philippine economy. A handful of these entrepreneurs run large companies and are respected as some of the most prominent business tycoons in the Philippines. Chinese Filipinos attribute their success in business to frugality and hard work, Confucian values and their traditional Chinese customs and traditions. They are very business-minded and entrepreneurship is highly valued and encouraged among the young.

 

Most Chinese Filipinos are urban dwellers. An estimated 50% of the Chinese Filipinos live within Metro Manila, with the rest in the other major cities of the Philippines. They are practically everywhere. In contrast with the Chinese mestizos, few Chinese are plantation owners. This is partly due to the fact that until recently when the Chinese Filipinos became Filipino citizens, the law prohibited the Chinese from owning land.

 

 
 

The Chinese Filipinos are unique in Southeast Asia in being overwhelmingly Christian. Almost all Chinese Filipinos, including the Chinese Mestizo but excluding the recent immigrants, had or will have their marriages in a Christian church. This proves that the majority of Chinese Filipinos have been baptized in a Christian church, with Catholics forming the largest group.

However, many of Chinese-Filipino Catholics still tend to practice the traditional Chinese religions side by side with Catholicism, although a small number of people practising solely traditional Chinese religions do exist as well. 

 

Chinese New Year 2010

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is also called "Lunar New Year", because it is based on the lunisolar Chinese calendar. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. 

You can see my coverage of Chinese New Year in 2006 here and in 2007 here. This year I focused on the lion and dragon dances in Binondo.