Thought you were done with New Year’s celebrations? Well get ready to celebrate all over again because its Chinese New Year on Jan 23, which means it’s time to usher in the year of the dragon.
What does the Year of the Dragon mean?
The Chinese lunar calendar runs in five cycles of 12 years, with each year named after a different animal that some believe corresponds to that year’s characteristics. Each of the cycles relates to one of the five elements – wood, water, earth, fire and metal. So (drum roll please), this lunar year, which runs from Jan 23 2012, is the year of the water dragon. Dragon years are supposed to be particularly special, since dragons are the only creatures of the zodiac that are mythical and, according to Chinese astrologers, this means we can expect a dramatic, unpredictable year in the spirit of its namesake. If you’re of a superstitious nature, prepare for major successes and failures, both of which will be fleeting – the idea is that 2012’s events, like dragons, will be intense and larger than life, but not solid or long-lasting. As for the water aspect, the element’s influence is supposed to help ideas flow and boost creativity for the year ahead.
Born in the Year of the Dragon?
If you were born in the lunar year (this usually runs from late January/early February onwards) of 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988 or 2000 you were born in a year of the dragon – which, according to Chinese astrology, means all sorts of things about your personality. Dragons are supposed to be bold, poised and energetic, which probably makes you a good leader. Good dragons are adventurous, bad dragons are reckless. Sound familiar? If you’re a dragon you’re also likely to be generous and have a cheeky sense of humour. You make excellent sales people, publicists, political campaigners, lawyers, real estate brokers, actors and politicians. Oh and your lucky colour is yellow. None of that applies? Uhh, well, what can we say, it’s not an exact science y’know…
Traditional celebrations
To celebrate properly, you’ll have to go all out on decorations. Red and gold are the most popular colours, because red represents power, happiness, vitality and of course is the national colour of China. Gold represents wealth and good fortune. You can hang lanterns and pictures of the incoming zodiac animal too for extra good luck. Kids really cash in on Chinese New Year, because they’re traditionally given red, decorative envelopes (called ‘hong bao’) that are stuffed with ‘lucky money’. You can also give these to employees or people that help you out in everyday life as a token of thanks – for example cleaners or babysitters. Finally, Chinese new year wouldn’t be the same without enough explosives to take out a small nation – don’t read into that, we just mean fireworks and firecrackers. All sorts of stories are told about why fireworks are so popular on Chinese New Year – some say the noise wakes up a dragon who will fly across the sky to bring rain for the crops. Others say the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes, preventing them from coming into the new year. We say they make an exciting loud noise and look pretty – what more reason do you need?
Chinese New Year foods
Lots of dishes have special symbolic significance in China, sometimes based on the appearance, history or name of the dish. Serving a whole chicken to family on New Year’s Eve symbolizes togetherness, while noodles represent longevity (as long as you slurp them up and don’t cut them). Eating spring rolls at Chinese new year is supposed to bring good fortune because their shape is similar to gold bars. Finally, it’s a nice idea to order a whole fish if you’re eating out at Chinese New Year, as the word for fish (‘yu’) sounds like the word for abundance. For added symbolism, ask the waiter to serve it with head and tail still attached, symbolizing a good beginning and ending for the coming year.
Where to celebrate in Abu Dhabi
There will be a great atmosphere and plenty of feasting taking place at almost all of the city’s Chinese eateries on January 23. Check the Chinese section of our Eating Out listings for ideas where to go. Alternatively, try one of these restaurants who are putting on special deals to celebrate the year of the dragon.
Flavours Restaurant
The Sheraton Abu Dhabi’s buffet restaurant Flavours will be laying on an extensive Chinese spread to celebrate the new year. There will be dishes served from regions all across China, including Sichuan chicken salad, fried noodles with Cantonese chicken and other specialties from a ‘wok’ live cooking station.
Dhs155 per person. January 23. Sheraton Abu Dhabi (02 677 3333).
Shang Palace
Shang Palace is giving you the chance to celebrate Chinese New Year right from January 12-26. They’re serving an à la carte menu featuring authentic specialties including a Prosperity Clay Pot with sea moss and assorted seafood, braised quail eggs with mushrooms and Fortune Salmon Yee Sang. Alternatively you can treat yourself to an extravagant eight-course set menu that includes their Peking duck rolls, braised spinach with seafood soup and pan-fried beef tenderloin in special sauce.
Dhs388 per person for the eight-course menu. Both the à la carte and set menus are available for lunch and dinner. January 12-26. Open for lunch from noon to 3pm and for dinner from 7pm to 11:30pm Shangri La (02 509 8555).
Royal Orchid
Like some dim sum? The best place to head to is Royal Orchid who are celebrating with a three course set menu that includes a huge array of dim sum and soups to start with, followed by Chinese noodle and rice dishes, and polished off with a tasty, if not particularly Chinese, mango pudding for dessert. Their set menu will be served for three days.
Dhs139 per person. January 21-23. Hilton (02 681 1900).
