Binondo Chinese New Year 2009
Kung Hei Fat Choi! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Kiong Hee Huat Tsai! Happy New year! Whichever or however you may say it, the Philippines is one of the few countries in the world which significantly celebrates the Chinese New Year since Filipinos have very rich Chinese Roots as well. In Manila, the premiere place that celebrates the new year is in Binondo.
Binondo Chinese New Year 2009
2009 is the year of the Ox in Chinese Astrology. A lot of Chinese still observes their traditions of buying charms, practicing rituals which would bring good luck for the year. Filipinos, even if they are not pure Chinese somehow also observes this. In fact, modern Chinese fuse their traditional practices with Christian beliefs like going to Church on the new year.
Binondo Chinese New Year 2009
One popular practice that is both colorful and entertaining that is still strongly observed is the New Year Dragon Dance. Once began as an entertaining dance to call in the rain during the early times in China, it has been an old tradition performed nowadays to bring luck, success, and long life.
Binondo Chinese New Year 2009 Dragon Dance
I arrived after lunch in Binondo to hunt for this Dancing Dragon Performance and it surely didn’t disappoint. Amidst the heavily crowded streets of people buying Chinese items and goodies, drumbeats would usually signal a dragon is coming. Soon, above head of the crowds, a squirming, colorful form would emerge. Here come’s a Dragon ready to dance.
Dragon Dancers in Red
Of course it’s not a real dragon, but a well rehearsed and choreographed movements of a group of individuals dancing. A dragon dance is not only a series of random movements, even the patterns, whether whirling, circular or a tracking motion, has a significance. Usually a dragon is lead by a pearl bearer. The pearl symbolizes wisdom in which the dragon follows.
Firecracker Belt
The dragon varies in length, the longer, the better since it symbolizes more life, luck and fortune. In this year’s celebration, I have seen the longest dragon dancing in the streets ever. It was an amusing sight with numerous feet running under. The dragon head is held by the one with the most stamina in the group since the dragon head is heavy to carry around.
Firecracker Dance
On one part of the dance, a smaller dragon would reach for an Ang Pow (A small red packet with money) on the ceiling. The Ang Pow is believed to ward off evil spirits. The money inside are usually in even numbers to bring good luck as odd-numbered values are only given in funerals.
Binondo Tikoy for sale
A long firecracker belt is lit off to culminate the dance. It’s one loud and smoky sequence but during those times, the dragons would whirl around this firecrackers in celebration and to drive away any negative spirits or bad luck that may come. It’s one wild drago dance at this time and the smoke really choked me several times seeing it.
Chinese New Year Lucky Charm Items on sale
Watching the dragon dance is always an entertaining treat. The colors just flow wonderfully with the coordinated steps of the dancers is amazing to see. But Binondo seemed to have spruced up this year’s celebration. I heard people saying that this year’s celebration is a lot better than last year. There were some float parades for some companies and some programs as well which I didn’t stay long to watch.
OX Lucky Charm
I also bumped into famous street walker Ivan Mandy there on his way home from 5 Street walk tours that day. Despite the fatigue, I have to thank him for the big favor when I was buying some Hopia at Eng Bee Tin. Thank you very much! So to you dear readers, Thank you very much and may this 2009, the year of the Ox be prosperous and blessed.
Would you know until when they would do dragon dances? It was late in the afternoon yesterday when I realized that it was the Chinese New Year already. Di na ako nakapunta. =p
May we have tons of luck this year my friend! =)
happy Chinese new year!
daming dragon…
sayang talaga hindi tayo nagkita dun.
the dragon in the picture 2,4 & 5 is the longest i’ve ever saw. 120 plus tao ang may dala.
happy chinese new year ferdz!
tikoy!!
ganda ng pictures. lalo na nung dragon dance. feel ko nandun din ako. hehe.
happy new year
Happy Chinese New Year!
Ang saya nila magcelebrate… so colorful ferds.
I’ve celebrated Chinese new year with a friend in binondo pero that was back in college pa, it was really fun. Nakakatuwa panoorin yun mga dragon dance nila, they’re awesome
Kung Hei Fat Choi!
I see you had fun with the dragons… great pics as usual !
happy new year ferdz! never experienced the chinese new year yet in binondo. thanks to this post.
ei amigo, kung hei fat choy.
judging from your images, this year’s celebration was really better, by a mile.
hmmm, sayang missed out on this one but with your captures, para rin akong nakapunta doon.
may this year of the ox be prosperous indeed
Holiday ba ang Chinese New Year. Ganda ganda shots mo, mukhang ang saya saya nga. Dito SF usually holds the parade and the celebration a week or so late.
Kung Hei THIN Choy, Ferdz! (weh, korni ko)…
makulay talaga ang mga Chinese celebrations no? galing nung kuha mo sa dragon dance lalo na yung may firecracker sa background. I wish you more blessings to come this year and more undiscovered places to visit. excited ako sa mga susunod mong travels!
Galing nung first photo Ferdz! Sarap nung mga tikoy
. Gusto ko rin sanang makita firsthand nung celebration kaso gipit sa sched (year ko ngayon, Ox ako hehe). At least nakita ko through your photos. Thanks for sharing
Lovely post as usual, Ferdz! I haven’t posted anything in months! Have been so busy. Nice to drop by here again!
Excellent coverage of the celebrations! Thanks for sharing!
sir ganda ng kuha nyo sa dragon ko yung longest. sir baka pwede makahingi ng picture kasi ako po yung gumawa nun reference ko lang po
hi… we have a Chinese themed party for Christmas and our entry for the dance competition is dragon dance. we are having a hard time looking for a ready made dragon we could rent for the competition. we tried making one but it was not successful. please help me find a dragon dance complete set wit equipments for rent at a reasonable price. thank you very much… by the way I LOVE THE very long dragon dance in Binondo.. this traditional dance is amazing and requires stamina and a lot of team effort its really a difficult dance number.
[...] attention. I could really feel the festive atmosphere here. It was 2 years ago when I last visited Binondo on a Chinese New Year and it certainly wasn’t like this before. Perhaps because from now on, the first day of the [...]