2012 Chinese New Year | Year of the Dragon

On January 23, 2012 the Year of the Dragon starts. Don’t worry, there aren’t going to be fire-breathing dragons roaming the hills, unless you believe the Mayan calendar is signalling the End of the World. Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China and it is typically a time when most people take off from work and travel home to see family. In the United States it would be compared to our Thanksgiving where we share a family feast with our extended families. The Chinese New Year holiday is a time for gifts of money in Chinese Red Pockets and decorating in bright red colors to wish ‘good fortune’ to all for the upcoming year.

The Year of the Dragon title is derived from the twelve year Chinese animal zodiac. The Chinese Dragon isn’t the fire breathing bad guy we make him out to be in medieval stories. In China the Dragon is a symbol of power, and mystery. View it as the power of good, that fights the wrongs of the world. In 2012 we can all hope for a little power of the Dragon.

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