30/52 - Chinatown

Week 30 of 52
Chinatown
Singapore

The Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year is rapidly approaching.  We in Singapore will be celebrating it on January 24th & 25th and have those days off as public holidays.  In preparation for it Chinatown is a buzz of activity.  I always take a trip this time of year to see what the decorations look like and just get a general feel for the upcoming festivities.

We are entering the year of the dragon and ushering out the year of the rabbit.  If you are curious what your Chinese zodiac is check out this website: http://www.chinesezodiac.com/calculator.php.  I am an Ox - FYI.

In the Chinese culture, Lunar New Year is probably the biggest holiday of the year.  It is a time meant to be spent with family and friends.  From speaking with the locals, they take about a week where they go to family members homes for large dinners and quality time.  It is traditional to give a gift of money to children in red envelopes such as these...

There are quite a few decorations to choose from in Chinatown.  The majority of them are red and gold which symbolize luck and prosperity.  And since it will be the year of the dragon quite a few of them are dragon related...

There are also lanterns and flowers everywhere as decoration and to be purchased...

It is a beautiful and fun time of year to wander through Chinatown.  The crowds can be pretty overwhelming but it is totally worth the fun of seeing the buzz of activity for the holiday.