Published: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 / Updated: Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 04:41 PM
Happy Chinese New Year
When my brother and I were very young, my parents would take us on business trips with them to New York City. We would stay in a hotel and drive my parents crazy with our mischievous antics.
On one particular trip, it happened to be the week of the Chinese New Year. My father decided that it would be a great idea: since we all needed a break from each other, we would go to Chinatown and see first-hand what a great celebration they have for the New Year.
The taxi ride was especially annoying for my parents. We were all packed in the back of a taxicab with my brother and me picking at each other the entire ride. We arrived just in time for the dragon parade. We stood there and all of a sudden out of nowhere came a red dragon and it seemed to stretch for miles. It was made of red silk, paper and bamboo, but of course we were too young to realize that and we thought it was real.
By the time it got to where we were standing, it started to breathe fire and smoke, and fireworks were going off from under and around this dragon. I will tell you, that dragon frightened my brother and me straight! We left that parade better children. From that day on it was behave or our parents would tell us that we would see the dragon.
We rode back to the hotel without uttering a word.
On Jan. 23, the Chinese and Vietnamese celebrated Chinese New Year and it is again the Year of the Dragon. Wonder about the fireworks? Legend has it that a monster terrorized villagers while searching for food during the Chinese New Year and other villagers were building a fire with bamboo. The bamboo started to burn and then hiss and pop, and that frightened the monster away.
Red is the Chinese color of celebration. It wards off evil spirits. Chinese married couples give red envelopes of money to children and unmarried friends to share their good fortune on the holiday.
On Chinese New Year you should not sweep your house. Tradition says you run the risk of sweeping your fortune away.
I would like to wish all the Chinese and Vietnamese in this area a very happy New Year.