The Dragon Dance is a form of celebration of the Year of the Dragon (Anatolia)
The dragon is the fifth animal in the Chinese zodiac, and in its culture it symbolizes prosperity, glory, wealth, good luck, and good omens. The Year of the Dragon is unique from the rest of the Chinese years, as it is the only one that has a mythical animal as its symbol.
The Chinese zodiac cycle contains 12 animals, each of which represents a year, and each year is associated with one of these animals: “Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.”
Every 12 years, the Chinese wait for the arrival of this year, and they welcome it with huge celebrations and bright colors, believing that it brings them good luck, as it is in Chinese culture a symbol of justice, nobility, and honor, and it is always seen as a symbol of good luck.
In Chinese mythology, the dragon is seen as being able to control the winds and rain and control fertility and water sources. Therefore, it is considered a symbol of abundance and harvest as well, in addition to its indication of the power of the empire, which represents the authority and power of the ruler.
A drawing depicting the Chinese Emperor Yandi (right) and Emperor Huang Di (Getty)
Legend of the Chinese Dragon
From totem worship in primitive society, the dragon symbol arose to become a distinctive cultural phenomenon in China. Chinese folk tales embody the dragon in the image of a supernatural creature with horns, scales, and a mustache that flies in the sky, dives into the water, penetrates the clouds, and brings down rain.
The dragon was closely associated with imperial power, as emperors considered themselves "the children of heaven of the true dragon" and imperial palaces were decorated with depictions of dragons.
The dragon arouses deep feelings among the Chinese towards the motherland and ignites their enthusiasm for patriotism, especially when mentioning the “children and successors of the dragon.” The myths and stories of the dragon are still present in the modern Chinese language, which confirms its rooted symbolism for them despite its antiquity.
The legend of the dragon goes back to the story of a legendary emperor called Yandi, and says that his descendants are descendants of a very powerful dragon. Yandi allied with Emperor Huang Di, who was the emperor of the Qin Dynasty from 221 to 210 BC, and together they were able to conquer China's enemies and unify the entire country.
Over time, many Chinese came to believe that Yandi was one of their ancestors, which made them believe that they were descendants of dragons. This strengthened their feelings of pride and pride and made them adhere to their heritage and culture.
Colorful dragon lantern in Chinatown in Singapore on the occasion of the Year of the Dragon, which falls in 2024 (Getty)
Dragon meanings
One of the most important indications about the dragon is the use of its colors, each of which symbolizes a specific characteristic or meaning, the most prominent of which are:
Red Dragon:
Symbolizes joy, celebrations and festivals.
Black Dragon:
Symbolizes the desire for revenge, evil and disaster.
White Dragon:
Symbolizes death, mourning, virtue and purity.
Blue and green dragon:
symbolize health, peace, growth and starting a new life.
Yellow Dragon:
Symbolizes wisdom, strength, good luck and the Emperor.
Golden Dragon:
Symbolizes wealth, strength, prosperity and authority.
Celebrating the Year of the Dragon
The Year of the Dragon also coincides with the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival), and begins with the beginning of the first lunar month of the Chinese year. The date of the celebration varies from year to year, but it always falls between late January and mid-February.
Celebratory activities - including preparations for the holiday - take more than a month, and the Chinese in ancient times saw the Lunar New Year as a "honeymoon" that they spent every year.
This year, China moves from the Year of the Rabbit to the Year of the Dragon, and begins the celebrations by bidding farewell to the old year, aiming to bring luck and prosperity in the new year.
The Year of the Dragon celebrations include some distinctive rituals throughout China and last 15 days, during which millions of people return to China, traveling thousands of miles to celebrate with their families, in the largest mass migration in the world every year.
These celebrations are not related to the Year of the Dragon, as it is an established tradition every Lunar New Year, as a family reunion is considered a binding tradition, and traditions force family members to meet, as a result of which most stores and commercial complexes are closed, and people resort to buying their needs a month before the holiday date in anticipation of the holiday. For this crisis, they also buy gifts, treats and new clothes.
Since the 1990s, Chinese residents have been given a week off from work on the occasion of the New Year.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the population during this period spends more than 820 billion yuan (about 1,115 billion dollars) on shopping and food.
The 12 Chinese zodiac signs, starting with the Rat and ending with the Pig, and the Dragon is the only mythical animal among them (Getty)
Among the rituals of celebrating the Spring Festival and Chinese New Year are the dragon and phoenix dance, fireworks, and popular celebrations. Traditional festivals associated with the Year of the Dragon, such as the Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wajie), and the offering of red gifts as they symbolize good luck in Chinese culture. Families are keen to reunite and share many kinds. Foods designated for this occasion.
The Chinese are keen to clean their homes before midnight on the Lunar New Year in order to rid them of any bad luck that may have accumulated over the past year. They are also interested in settling debts before the New Year, including credit card bills.
As for the prohibitions that must be avoided during the celebration of the holiday, the most important of them is cutting or washing the hair on the first day of the new year. The reason for this belief is that the Chinese character for the word “hair” is the same character in the Chinese word for “prosperity”, which made them believe that washing or cutting the hair means Reducing wealth or chances of achieving prosperity in the coming year.
Chinese people who are interested in reading also stop buying books, and the reason for this is that the pronunciation of the word “book” in the Chinese language is similar to the pronunciation of the word “loss”, so buying books in this period is an invitation to bad luck, and traditions indicate that the warmth of celebrations contributes to... Clear the way to the new year.
What distinguishes the Year of the Dragon from others?
In Chinese culture, associating the Chinese Year with a specific animal means its influence on people in terms of marriage, job opportunities, as well as wealth. They believe that the Year of the Dragon is the luckiest year for those born, as the Chinese believe that a person born in that year is independent, strong, brave, and influential, in addition to being a person. Lucky.
Because of the fortunes associated with the Year of the Dragon, the Chinese often try to give birth to their children in order to have these qualities, which leads to a noticeable increase in the number of births each year of the Dragon.
Source: websites