Carnival to ring in Chinese New Year

A carnival, an open air opera and a film festival are among the events scheduled to ring in the Chinese New Year in Dublin this weekend.

According the Chinese calendar, 2012, which officially begins on January 23rd, is the Year of the Dragon.

In contrast to its fearsome reputation in western mythology, the dragon is a symbol of “untold riches” in China, not a bad omen for these cash-strapped shores.

The week-long celebrations in the capital will kick off with a performance of Puccini's Chinese-themed opera, Turandot, in the newly covered Temple Bar Meeting House Square tomorrow evening [7.30pm].

The festival, which is being co-ordinated by the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival Committee along with Dublin City Council, will also play host to an Asian food market and carnival at the same venue on Sunday afternoon [12-6pm].

The carnival, which promises to bring all the colour and flavour of the orient to the city, will be headlined by a dance performance featuring a specially commissioned Irish dragon created in Hong Kong.

The dragon’s dance at 4pm [12 midnight in China] will officially ring in the year of the dragon. Other events include a film festival, a photography exhibition and several children’s events.

The Dublin Chinese New Year Festival Committee along with Dublin City Council is hosting a series of events of mark the occasion.

Dublin’s Lord Mayor Andrew Montague, who will attend the carnival, said: “The carnival on Sunday is just one of the many events that will bring the magic of China to Dublin city this weekend.

“It’s a great opportunity to find out more about China and our Chinese neighbours here in Dublin,” he added.

Amy-Yin Zhang of the Dublin Chinese New Year festival committee said: “The festival has grown in popularity every year and is now part of Dublin’s events calendar. To everyone attending the festival I say Xin Nian Hao! [Happy New Year].”

The Chinese calendar is based on lunar cycles beginning with the second new moon after the northern hemisphere winter begins.

It is divided into 12-year cycles with each year represented by different animals. The rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar, all of which impose their individual personalities on their allocated years.

The dragon is said to bestow good fortune on those born in 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 and, of course, this year.