Skip to main content

Year of the Dragon



Kung Hei Fat Choy - Cantonese for Happy New Year.
Welcome the Year of the Dragon . A very auspicious year  it would seem … from the International Business Times … The Year of the Dragon is one of the most revered years of the Chinese New Year calendar, and those born under the sign are regarded as innovative, passionate people who are colourful, confident and fearless…. the Dragon is sometimes called a "karmic sign." The Dragon is larger than life and its appearance means that big things are to come. The Year of the Dragon is a flowing river, not a stagnant lake, so things happen quickly earlier in the year. The Dragon marks progression, perseverance and auspiciousness. It may also bring about unpredictable events.

To celebrate the new year we spent a couple of days in Sydney with our  family for the launch of the Chinese New Year Festival. We are sorry we will not be able to enjoy the legendary parade next weekend, but it clashes with the beginning of the school year in NSW… not good to have grandchildren celebrating late into the night before their first day of term.
What does Chinese New Year mean to our family?
Being together as a family,  of course ….
 Food, food and more food….

Tradition - Lion dances….

And parades ….

 Lots of good luck red….Red packets with money.... 

Making good wishes for the future .... 

New clothes in bright colours …
Chasing away  the bad spirits….
And welcoming the new and the good ….
                                       
Learning about heritage ….
Religious observance...

Reflection and meditation...
 Just having fun together regardless of the weather.... 
And when any more celebrating is just too much, there's nothing better than a vegemite sandwich and a sleep in the arms of someone who loves you....

Thanks to my beautiful family for making this Chinese New Year  celebration very special for me and to all  my friends and family my  best wishes for happiness, peace and love in the Year of the Dragon. 


Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 24, 2012 at 7:43 AM

    Wilma, what a wonderful post.I checked my bloglist and your blog was still listed, I hadn't removed , or altered it, but it wasn't coming upo on sidebar.Not sure why.Added again, now comes up.
    Tag Tuesday..thanks for telling me about it. What fun..the next month will possibly be a mini book!!
    Cheers
    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wilma Simmons (Empress Wu Designs)January 24, 2012 at 10:24 AM

    Thanks Judy - sorry didn't mean that you had to change settings etc... I just remembered you had an interest in the Chinese New Year traditions for one of your students a couple of years back. So happy you are enjoying Tag Tuesday.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Forgiving FashionsJanuary 24, 2012 at 4:23 PM

    Beautiful photos and text - thanks Wilma for your good wishes and a Happy New Year to you.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Christmas Countdown 15 : Christmas Tree #11 - Disposable

Plastic cups  https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/christmas-stem-ideas-kids/ Advent Blog : Day 11 - Disposable  We are all so much more conscious about ridding our landfills and oceans of plastic waste. For Christmas, here is a way to use up some of those disposable items which seem to multiply at holiday parties and celebrations, or perhaps you have just been saving them up for a creative use.... Who would have thought coffee pods would make such stylish Christmas trees ? ... Add caption If you don't have one of those machines, then perhaps you have coffee on the run - Starbucks or Nescafe ?  from  https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/369858188126737920/ Nescafe cups https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/72761350208620530/ The disposable cups don' t have to be brand names to work well as materials for Christmas trees. Taking an engineering approach to plastic cup trees seems to be the answer for a more ornate result.  from  https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin
1 comment
Read more

Countdown to Christmas 20 - Fruitcake song!

There are many songs about fruit cakes  - not all of them referring to the Christmas cake we know and love.It is really surprising to learn via Google that there are 89 listed songs with references to Christmas cake or fruit cake - not all of them complimentary.   Probably one of the most famous folk songs about Christmas cake is Miss Fogarty's  Christmas Cake (a favourite sung by The Irish Rovers).  This first recorded comical Christmas song was written by C Frank Horn in 1883 in Pennsylania, as a variation of an Irish folk song, 'Miss Mulligan's Christmas Cake' . The chorus might give you the hint that Miss Fogarty's cake was not for the faint hearted or those who suffered from a weak stomach.    Chorus : There were plums and prunes and cherries, There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too There was nutmeg, cloves and berries And a crust that was nailed on with glue There were caraway seeds in abundance Such that work up
Post a Comment
Read more

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as wrapping str
3 comments
Read more