2012: Celebrating the Dragon

Tonight, more than a billion Chinese will celebrate the new lunar year – the 4,710th of the Chinese calendar. The festivities will run over the next 15 days until the first full moon. Lion and dragon dances, family gatherings, and fireworks display are part of the annual fun. It is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar, also known as Spring festival.

You can experience a little of the Chinese culture and welcome the year of the Dragon in selected places across Dubai.

“Check out the ‘money tree' while enjoying a special Chinese menu at the Boulevard at Jumeirah Emirates Towers until January 28, 2012. Watch two authentic Chinese lion dances with the Burj Al Arab in the background tomorrow. The hotel's exterior ‘sail' will be illuminated by a massive red dragon. The celebration will last until January 29. Enjoy Chinese fortune-telling and a traditional tea ceremony along with a dragon-themed buffet at Anise at the Intercontinental at Festival City Dubai.” _Gulf News

Another more “crafty” way to celebrate the Chinese New Year is paper lantern making. As a traditional symbol of the Chinese culture, Chinese families make paper lanterns, light them and hang them in their homes to bring good luck.

How to make Chinese lantern

And some more fun for the kids

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous year of the Dragon!