Happy Chinese 4713 Year!

The dATE: 19th of February, 2015
I am downtown, in China Town.
You know why? To celebrate the New Year.
The wISh: Happy Chinese New Year… Happy 4713!

The 20th street is crowded with locals with only a few tourists. Gathered around the stage where the officials offer the prizes to the best winning teams of Dragon Dance.

Dragons, colors, wings, feathers, garlands, Chinese symbols and letters.

Dragon Dancers are over the poles and with fine small moves to keep their balance, they dance, according to the Chinese tradition. A little girl is scared of the dragon and she hides behind her mother, while a group of young people trying to sustain the loud music that comes from the drum by covering their ears.

A Burmese photographer approached me.

«Where are you from?”

“Gri” is the Greek in Burmese.

«Gri… very beautiful! You, very beautiful!”

I don’t know if he knew where Greece is, he smiled and he offered me a small pink stool. He is a freelance photographer and he hopes that one day he will get a job in a newspaper so he will be able to travel.

Dragon dancers continue dancing. On the first acrobatic jump one of the two members who leads the dragon is in the air, the second dancer balance on his hands by another acrobat who stands on the pole.

Drums continuing making a spiritual atmosphere and people encourage the dancers every time they have a successful acrobatic move. The local restaurants serve barbecue seafood and vegetables and drink beer. It is a festive night and everyone is smiley.

I have a dinner with some Spanish people I met. Nhang, the photographer, passed from the street restaurant that I have my dinner.

“Goodnight, Maro”…

I learned that my Chinese horoscope is mice.

Well...

The dATE: 19th of February, 2015

I am downtown, in China Town.

You know why? To celebrate the New Year.

The wISh: Happy Chinese New Year… Happy 4713!