Dragons and Lions and Dancers - Oh My!

Normally a busy intersection near our apartment

The streets are eerily quiet, with ghost town-like spirits whispering past you. Most of the shops and businesses are closed, their heavy metal sliding doors clamped up tight. A few travelers scurry here or there, rushing to make it to their family home for the reunion dinner.  It is Chinese New Year in Taipei, and everyone is quietly having meals with their family. Not a whole lot to do for out of town visitors or senior missionaries. 

But the mission president shared a secret with the senior missionaries - the Grand Hyatt Hotel does a wonderful job of celebrating the New Years - so we headed over there for a special treat. 

If for some reason you don't like the color red, you're pretty sunk at New Years. Red scares away the evil spirits, as does loud noises and a lucky dragon dance. 

Listen to the firecrackers as they welcome in the celebrations and scare off any evil spirits lurking: Click Here to watch the firecrackers.

Drummers for the Dragon Dance

Ear-deafening firecrackers were followed by the famed dragon dance.

 Click HERE to watch the dragon dance.

The Lion Dance came out next - and this lovely pair seemed to work magic.

 

Aboriginal dancers with all their bright colors!

Then inside the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Lion performance continued, to the deafening beat of drums, cymbals and gongs. 

 Click HERE to watch the Lion dance performance - with parkour skills!

The mission president and his wife then treated his wife's visiting family and the senior missionaries to a lovely all you can eat extravaganza buffet. Top quality food - and we literally rolled ourselves out of there!

With all this red, the New Year's Monster - Nian - will sure to be long gone - leaving everyone here safe and secure for another year. Any wonder why red keeps evil away? Other than the fact that it is a very lovely color (my favorite!!) - the symbolism for followers of Christ is wonderful.

The quiet streets and closed up shops continue on for a week or so - then everyone will be back. The rest and relaxation and peace that comes with the New Year is wonderful. 

Apple Custard, or 釋迦; ( pinyin: shìjiā) - a common fruit at New Years