The Year of the Dragon

Posted by Andaman Sam on January 13th, 2012 filed in Activities, Family fun, Festivals, Shopping, The locals

Now that the Western New Year has passed it is time to prepare for the Chinese New Year. As some may know Phuket has quite a large Chinese community and they will no doubt have something great planned for bringing in the Year of the Dragon.

The Year of the Dragon is the most celebrated of all the zodiacs in the Chinese calendar as it is the mightiest of all the signs. This year marks the Water Dragon and Phuket’s Old Town will light up with fireworks, colourful decorations and people dressed in red. Although in many countries this holiday is celebrated over 15 days, here in Phuket only the first day is celebrated, which in on January 23rd.

For those really wanting to experience this great holiday the best way to do this is to go and join in on the festivities, which of course includes eating. There are certain foods that are believed to bring good luck if eaten on this day. These include fish, dumplings, melon and pumpkin seeds, noodles, sweets and taro cakes. Don’t forget to hit the market, as the Chinese New Year is famous for its bargain prices.