Celebrating the Chinese
Year of the Dragon, 2012
Those born in the Year
of the Dragon are known
for their charisma,
energy, intelligence,
confidence,
impulsiveness and
elegance. Dragon
personalities are prone
to trust to luck,
sometimes to their
ruin. Dragons are drawn
to work in fields where
imagination is prized.
The ideal mate for a
dragon is the
mischievous monkey; to
marry another dragon
might be a success or a
disaster; the rat's
creativity is
complimentary but may
prove equally
impractical;
the-down-to-earth dog
will probably not be
compatible.
The Chinese dragon is
the symbol of the
supernatural forces of
nature especially
rainfall, hurricanes and
floods, as well as the
might of the Emperor.
He is considered wise
and good-natured. There
are many types of
dragons. The earth
dragons, Dilong, for
instance, rule puddles,
lakes, rivers. Shenlong,
spirit dragons, control
wind and rain. Long
Wang, the dragon kings,
rule the oceans. The
forms of sleeping earth
dragons can be seen in
the humps of hills.
The traditional New
Year's dragon dance,
each dragon with a
troupe of 25 or more,
dance to scare away evil
spirits and to summon
luck and fortune. The
longer the dragon, the
more luck it brings.
The choreography
"dragon chasing the
flaming pearl" shows the
dragon continually in
pursuit of wisdom.
The goal of Chinese
astrology is not so much
to predict the future,
but to achieve balance
between Yin and Yang
forces in order to
maintain harmony. This
is especially valuable
knowledge for farming,
of course, and for
wedding planning, for
many centuries, entirely
managed by parents with
the help of a
professional astrologer.
©
2012 Yantze
