Today we close the year of the monkey and welcome the rising of the rooster with the Chinese community in the country.
Making up some percentage of Papua New Guinea’s population, this event is celebrated every lunar year.
Today was no different, as 24 shops in Vision City prepared to farewell the old year and welcome the new one.
Lunar calendar is very different.
As explained by Joyce Lee – manager of Travel Planners, months, according to the Lunar Calendar, is usually one month behind the globally recognised calendar.
“Like, today is just the starting of the first month when we are actually already into February. But every year, the New Year date changes. If there’s no leap year, our new year comes earlier, but with leap year, it runs up towards the end of December,” she explained.
“For us, animals represent each year. We don’t call it year one or two, we call them the year of animals and it’s in a cycle of 12,” Lee furthered.
Traditionally, Lee says it’s very auspicious for every business house to have a dragon-lion dance.
“Because it symbolises the start of a new year, saying good bye to all the bad things in that year and overcoming this year so it’s good to have this,” she added.
Travel Planners and other business houses in Vision City were graced by these dancers, who took time to enter every shop, receive the basket of vegetable and fruits and bless the shop, as believed.
According to Lee, every vegetable and fruit symbolises good things.
Each Chinese took time to pat the dragon-lion and take pictures before one dancer grabbed the lettuce hanging above the entrance and showered the shop with it.
For those who recognise this day, it is a day of resting, where normal cleaning chores are left until the second day.
Happy Chinese New Year!
