On the weekend, we visited Chinatown to catch the Chinese New Year parade. Each year, the Dai Loong or Great Dragon makes a special appearance in the parade. Along with Dai Loong, the lions also make their appearance as well as a collection of animals from the Chinese restaurant kitchen and fish tank such as bird, lobster, fish, crab and turtle. There is also a mini dragon and a dolphin, which are animals that we would eat if it was available!
At the end of the parade at Cohen Place, the older dragon is met by the young green dragon. The young dragon twirls and spins around vigorously to welcome its dad home, marking the end of the parade.
The lions continue to prance around Chinatown and surrounding areas long after the parade has ended. During the Chinese New Year celebrations, shop owners pay lion dance troupes to dance in front and inside their shops to bring them luck and ward away evil.
The easiest way to catch one of these dances is to spot which stores have hung a bunch of coral lettuce and a red packet in front of their shops. It is customary for the lions to perform tricks to get to the lettuce without the use of stilts, ladder, chair or any other such equipment other than their bodies. For their skill and hard work, they are rewarded by red packets containing money.
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