Gung Xi Fai Cai! Happy Chinese New Year!

Gung Xi Fai Cai! Happy Chinese New Year!

Monday 26th January 2009 will be the first day of the Year Of The Ox. So today I took the girls into town to watch the celebrations and of course the dragon dance.

The girls ready to go watch the dragon dance

The celebrations were due to start at The Boy and Boat statue at 1pm. We arrived with half and hour to spare, or so we thought. There was a lot of standing around and waiting, Amy and Ana got quite figity but thankfully some girls in tradtional chinese costume were handing out fortune cookies to all the children.

Amy's fortune said. "Life to you is danshing and a bold adventure." Very fitting I thought

Ana's fortune said. "Advice, when most needed, is least heeded."

Everything was fine, until the the banging of the drums and the dragons started dancing, then Amy was completely terrified. She was convinced the dragons were going to eat her or roar loudly and breathe fire.

Dragons dancing

We followed the dancers down the high street in a huge procession. It was then that the dragons came closer and fluttered their eyes at the all the children. This did not help to improve Amy's terrified mood.

A lovely lady tried to tell Amy that they were nothing more then men in costume and pointed out their legs, but Amy was having none of it. She didn't believe any of us until the dragons removed their heads at the end dance. Of course then she wanted to see the dragons dance again. Maybe next year!

Afterwards we went to the free arts and crafts stall set up in the shopping centre and had a go at making our own paper Chinese lanterns.

The girls with their paper lanterns