Dragons deliriously dancing and drinking and partying their time away (pic taken at Tsim Sha Tsui East)This is Hong Kong's warped interpretation of Christmas and the festive season. It is a very merry and irresponsible message for Christmas.
To those familiar with Hong Kong's annual festive lights, the context and hence, the warped interpretation, is invariably linked with the upcoming Chinese New Year lights which always follow on from the Christmas lights. With the 2012 Chinese New Year being the Year of the Dragon, this is the reason why "there be dragons" displayed on Hong Kong's waterfront.
But does this mean that Chinese people believe dragons drink and party during the Lunar New Year too?? Or is this a purely Western attitude?
If surveys are anything to go by (see news article Fiery Dragon set to spark baby rush from The Standard), then the drinking and partying may indeed help with breathing more life (i.e. newborn baby 'dragons' or 'Little Emperors') in 2012. Scary times ahead.
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Not that I drink, or ever went near the nightlife areas of Hongkers, but it didn't seem like a particularly hard drinking place.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a legless dragon though, lurching around and snorting fire randomly.
Hong Kong's lights over the harbourfront are very dour this year. Perhaps a sign of the sagging economy. Maybe that's why dragons are drinking, to help down some sorrows.
ReplyDeleteTo Chinese, dragons are supposed to be good omens. And in the West, dragons are bad omens. This drinking dragon is obviously a Western Gweilo drunken lout!