Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days and is the most important traditional Chinese holiday. It is the Year of the Dragon in 2012. Red decorations symbolizing prosperity and luck are prominently displayed. Festivities include dragon dances performed with large puppet dragons and dragon boat races. Dragons are highly symbolic in Chinese culture and represent qualities like power, wisdom, and good fortune that people hope for in the new year.

1. Chinese New Year
2012- Year of the DRAGON

2. Chinese New Year
• Most important of
traditional Chinese
holidays
• Celebrated for 15
days
• Red is an important
color…Most
decorations are red
because this
symbolizes
prosperity and good
luck

3. Importance of Chinese
New Year
• Celebrations last for 15 days
• Lots of cherry blossom decorations
(luck) and sunflower decorations
(good new year)

4. Chinese New Year
Festivities
• 12 year Animal
cycle
• If born in early
January, you are
still the previous
year’s animal

5. Chinese New Year
Festivities

6. Chinese New Year
Festivities
• One of the biggest parade
spectacles is the “Dragon Dance”
where a large paper dragon
puppet “dances” with the help of
lots of adult puppeteers.

7. Why Dragons?
• Dragons are very symbolic in
Chinese culture. They symbolize:
– Good luck
– Power
– Dignity
– Wisdom
– Imperial authority
– kindness
Basically, all of the good kinds of things that you would
want in a new year!

8. Background
• One of the earliest
symbols of Chinese
religion
• Most sacred animal-
imperial emblem of
Chinese emperors
• Symbol of power and
good fortune

9. Background
• Control over water,
rainfall, hurricane &
floods
• Symbol of power,
strength, and good
luck.
• Kind and gracious
• Worshipped &
Respected

10. Appearance
• Chinese Dragons look very different from
Western dragons
• Head of a camel, horns of a deer, fiery
eyes and a long beard
• Ears are sharp like an eagle, neck is
serpentine, belly of a frog, scales of a carp

11. • 4 claws (ordinary
dragons have 4 toes,
and imperial dragons
have 5 toes)
• 71 scales (81 positive
yang, and 36 negative
yin)
• They can fly, but do
not have wings
Appearance

12. • Celestial Dragons
• Spiritual Dragons
• Earth Dragons
• Treasure Dragons
Types of
Dragons

13. • Boat races are an important
part of festivities...up to 12
rowers with a carved dragon
as the head of the boat
• Dancing occurs during
festivities with puppets – life-
sized, people manipulate the
dragon with poles.
Choreographed music with
drums and music
Dragonboat Racing/
Dragon Dancing

19. SF New Year 2012 Dragon Boat Racing

20. Your Assignment…
• Create your own
Chinese-style Dragon
painting
• Acrylic on canvas
• Use elements of the
dragons you have seen
• Complementary
(opposite) colors