I received a lesson in political correctness this week while discussing the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration in Singapore.
"Don't you mean the Lunar New Year," said the Vietnamese man I was chatting with in the grocery store. "The holiday is celebrated throughout Asia, not just China."
Point well taken.
Anyway, I visited Chinatown last night to see the decorations for the February 19th event. I've been to Chinatown many times, but the festivities and the shopping crowds are a bit ratcheted up this time of year.
After a couple of hours of fighting through the shoppers, I had enough and retreated to the perimeter to gaze ...
at the lanterns lighting up the evening sky.
But before leaving, I was fortunate enough to watch a Lion Dance. The traditional dance is intended to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck.
Often, the dance is performed on flat ground, but this lion dance involved acrobats jumping back and forth on poles several feet above the ground. If you look closely at the bottom of the picture, you'll see the lion's feet on the tiny red platforms.
Here's a short clip of the dance that I recorded on my phone. It's quite amazing how the acrobats are able to balance, especially while donning such an elaborate costume.
Happy Lunar New Year!
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