Happy New Year!
Yesterday marked the beginning of year 4711, the Year of the Snake, and ushered in a 2 week-long celebration in China and other countries who observe the Lunisolar calendar like Vietnam and Korea. [If you want to practice your higher math skills, the creation and maintenance of the Chinese calendar should do the trick.]
Since Chinese New Year is not a holiday in Japan, a little travel is required to join in the revelry. Just south of Tokyo is Yokohama, home to Japan’s (and Asia’s) largest Chinatown and the epicenter of the New Year celebrations outside of China.
The streets were decorated with lanterns and filled to the brim with people trying to watch the ceremonial lion dance (“Cai Qing”) weaving through the neighborhood. In short, the lion does a dance in front – and oftentimes inside – of each shop and blesses the shopkeepers and onlookers. He collects the gifts of money hanging over the doorway in traditional red paper envelopes in his mouth and swallows them down. Firecrackers are set off and the crowd erupts in applause amidst the smoke and merriment. It’s a truly fun and amazing scene.
Below are some photos capturing the atmosphere:
