Year of the Dragon – a divine beast

As Panama’s 9th Jazz Festival slid into history, the Chinese community kicked off the Year of the Dragon celebrations in fine style in two major centers on  Sunday, January 22.

The local Chinese population is estimated at between 200,000 and 300,000 and the main focus of celebrations is  in El Dorado and Atlapa. They will continue through Monday, and include Chinese ballet, dragon dances, martial arts, food sampling, and fireworks.

The celebrations are linked to the Chinese lunar calendar and the dragon is the fifth  of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.

The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend and a symbol of good fortune. A sign of intense power, the Oriental dragon is regarded as a divine beast – the reverse of the malicious monster that Westerners felt necessary to find and slay. People born in dragon years are to be honored and respected. The key to the dragon personality is that dragons are the free spirits of the Zodiac. Conformity is a dragon's curse. Rules and regulations are made for other people.