| Every year we celebrate the New Year by dining out with family and friends, enjoying a festive meal and watching the Lion Dance performance at selective Chinese restaurants. The Lion Dance is symbolic of old Asian folklore and tradition. In this instance, a two man team dons on the decorated costume and dance to the beat of drums and snares, winding its way between the tables. The patrons would 'feed' the lion with red envelopes called Hoan Bao, which are stuffed with money. Traditionally these Hoan Bao are given to young children, unwed couples, and close friends and family. In this case, a single dollar in each envelope is given to the lion as he dances by, for good luck, and for the dancers' gratuity. It is a most fun and memorable celebration, loud and cheerful to set the mark for the remainder of the year. In that way, New Year day is tremendously important since the tone of the day is believed to be representative of the tone of the rest of the year. So if you have a good New Year day, you will be blessed with a good year. The faith in this belief is so powerful that enemies have been known to cause mischief or sabotage to curse the unfortunate victims with an entire year of misfortune. |
