Master Jacky Luk and the team of Hup Jong Mune Wushu Culture Association will perform lion and dragon dances to celebrate the Year of the Dragon at SkyCity and the Auckland Lantern Festival. Photo / Dean Purcell
For the first time as Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon will be performing the eye-dotting ceremony to awaken the dragon on Saturday to mark the start of three weeks of Lunar New Year festivities in Auckland.
More than 300,000 in Auckland will be joining about two billion others - the estimated number who celebrate the festival according to a United Nations 2022 report - to usher in the Year of the Dragon.
For people across Asia and Asian diaspora communities around the world, February 10 marks the end of the Zodiac year of the Rabbit and the start of the Year of the Dragon.
Ahead of the Lunar New Year, up to 20,000 are expected to gather at the Auckland Showgrounds today (Saturday 3) for the Chinese New Year Festival Day to kick off the celebrations.
“Because it is the Year of the Dragon, the opening ceremony will feature a dragon dance instead of the usual lion dance,” said festival organizer Kai Luey, the immediate past chairman of the Auckland Chinese Community Centre.
Auckland-based feng shui master Jojo Zhou said the dragon is considered to be the luckiest and most powerful animal in the Chinese zodiac.
She is predicting a year of exciting changes ahead and that the stars point to openings of many opportunities and new beginnings.
“This is the year of the Wood Dragon and also the beginning of the Nine Qi Cycle, marking 2024 as one of the most exciting times for change,” Zhou said.
“It will be a good time for us to renew, reflect, and seize opportunities for change and new beginnings.”
Zhou said the stars also show people should look for external support and not rely just on individual efforts.
“The stock and futures markets remain uncertain, and large-scale short-term investments are not recommended,” she said.
The Dragon year will also boost scientific progress and will be the start of a cycle where digital technology, robotic developments and AI will advance rapidly.
However, it will be a year of volatility, and many will face financial challenges with continued layoffs, salary cuts, and business bankruptcies.
“The real estate and land development industries are also predicted to face instability,” she said.
Zhou said those born under the Rat, Monkey and Rooster will have a favourable year with good prospects in both career development and financial fortune.
However, it will be challenging for people born in the Years of the Dragon, Dog, Ox and Rabbit.
The Chinese lunar calendar is based on a 12-year cycle with each year being assigned an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
“These individuals should act conservatively and avoid major changes during this year,” she said.
“Rabbits should be particularly cautious about health issues, while Ox individuals should pay attention to financial matters, avoiding risky investments.”
Janet Chan, a feng shui practitioner who runs a business postpartum confinement catering for new mothers, says traditionally, the Chinese consider the Dragon Year to be the most auspicious year to have a child.
“The dragon symbolises power, strength and luck and has been used by Chinese emperors as their symbol,” Chan said.
“Babies born under the dragon sign are believed to be independent, driven, confident and destined for success.”
But she said many were being pragmatic in the current cost of living crisis and are thinking twice about having a child this year.
Food plays a central part in the Lunar New Year celebrations, with the belief that eating certain dishes can bring luck and fortune for the impending year.
The symbolism of Chinese New Year food is based on their Chinese pronunciations or appearance, with fish meaning an increase in prosperity, dumplings and spring rolls representing wealth and noodles for long life and happiness.
This year, Chinese restaurants are expecting a high demand for crayfish and many - from Huami at SkyCity, Grand Harbour at the Viaduct to Sum Made Restaurant in Albany - are stocking up on the crustacean in their live seafood tanks.
“The word for crayfish in Chinese is long xia which translates to ‘dragon prawn’, so it will be very popular for feasts in the dragon year,” explained Cameron Zhong, owner of Sum Made.
“People also consider eating crayfish lucky because it turns red when cooked, and red is considered a lucky colour.”
The Lunar New Year is also widely celebrated in Korea and also in Vietnam, where it is called Tết and considered its most important festival.
Vietnamese chef Kevin Do of Jungle 8, who came to New Zealand four months ago to helm the kitchen at the new Jungle 8 in Elliott Stables, is celebrating the festival away from his family in Vietnam.
As a festive special, Do and his team have created a platter with traditional Vietnamese New Year must-have dishes at Jungle 8.
The $88 platter includes Banh Chung, a sticky rice cake eaten to honour ancestors, Thit Kho caramelised pork belly symbolising the coming together of family and Thit Dong, a meat jelly for strengthening love ties.
Kicking off the first weekend of the Lunar New Year next Friday and Saturday, Cai Shen Ye - the god of fortune - will “arrive” by jumping from the Sky Tower.
This will be followed by firecrackers and lion and dragon dance performances by the Hup Jong Mune Wushu Culture Association at SkyCity.
The sounds, tastes, traditions and beats of the Dragon will then continue across the city with dozens of events and celebrations lined up.
Auckland Council is bringing the festivities to the central city beginning with the inaugural Lunar New Year Festival in the forecourt of the Auckland Art Gallery which will showcase cultural performances, traditional tea ceremony and dumpling-making classes with Sumthin Dumplin.
The vibrancy builds further on February 14 with the Midtown Street Party in Lorne Street and the finale on February 25 in Aotea Square.
For the first time, Heart of the City is running a series of six walking food tours aimed at uncovering flavours and Lunar New Year dishes on offer in central city eateries, each culminating with a traditional lo hei at Huami.
Lo hei involves the eating of a New Year raw fish salad dish called yu sheng, and diners stand around the table with their chopsticks in hand and try to toss the salad as high as they can.
It is believed the higher the toss, the better the fortune will be for the new year.
After four years of cancellations, the Auckland Lantern Festival is set to return and for the first time will be held at the Manukau Sports Bowl.
The festival, which traditionally brings Lunar New Year festivities to a close, will run for four days from Thursday, February 22 to Sunday, February 25.
It will feature hundreds of lanterns along with traditional and contemporary performances, cultural displays, and the usual line-up of food stalls.
A main feature will be a newly commissioned handmade dragon, measuring 30 metres, to honour the Year of the Dragon which will be displayed on the main stage.
Chris Simpson, Head of Major Events at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited said the return of the festival has been much anticipated by Aucklanders.
“This BNZ Auckland Lantern Festival is such an important part of Auckland’s cultural life, and it’s been missed by Aucklanders and visitors alike,” Simpson said.
“Last year we were tantalisingly close to holding the festival at this new venue, and we know Aucklanders are more than ready to experience the festival’s range of food stalls, cultural performances and displays this year.”
A fireworks display will close out the festival and Lunar New Year festivities on Sunday, February 25 at 9.50pm.
