Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO
ON the first day of the Year of the Water Dragon, Binondo, Manila became the scene of a huge party filled with street performers and lion dancers and dragons of all shapes, colors and sizes gyrating to the beat of drummers.
Binondo is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established even before the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century. Located across the Pasig River from Intramuros, the walled city that was the enclave of Spanish colonizers, Binondo was the center of commerce and trade by the early Chinese merchants who settled in the country. Forced to convert to Catholicism or face expulsion or execution by the colonizers, the Chinese turned the area into an economic hub in Asia in early times because of its historical and financial significance.
Organizers of this year’s festivities made it extra special because the day was declared a public holiday for the first time as an acknowledgement of the contribution of the local Chinese community to the country’s economy and society. The number of people who attended this year’s celebration was undoubtedly larger compared to previous years because of the long weekend. Most of the food establishments in the area were packed full of customers to the point that many of them ran out of their top selling items.
A symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power, the dragon is regarded as a divine beast that Chinese Filipinos hope would bring good luck and prosperity this year.
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