2016

SJ8497 : Chinese Dragon on Princess Street

taken 8 years ago, near to Manchester, England

Chinese Dragon on Princess Street
Chinese Dragon on Princess Street
The dragon dance is performed during Chinese New Year celebrations. Chinese dragons are a symbol of China, and they are believed to possess qualities that include great power, dignity, fertility, wisdom and auspiciousness. According to legend, the dragon has to chase the pearl of wisdom. The pearl effectively controls the dragon, so wherever the pearl goes, the dragon follows. The story goes that every time it is just about to catch it, it gets away.

The dance is performed by a team of dancers who manipulate a long flexible figure of a dragon using poles positioned at regular intervals along the length of the dragon. The appearance of a dragon is both fearsome and bold but it has a benevolent disposition and is believed to bring good luck to people, therefore the longer the dragon in the dance, the more luck it will bring to the community. This one (which was reportedly the longest dragon in Europe at 175ft LinkExternal link ) was built around bamboo poles for the runners to hold, with bamboo and rattan cages forming the main body and a spine running down the centre topped with cardboard cones. There are 23 cages doubled up so there are 46 runners, with five or six more to manage the head, and extras to control the pearl.
Manchester Chinese New Year Celebrations, Year of the Monkey :: SJ8398

Since the first Chinese settlers arrived in the city in the early 20th century, Manchester’s Chinatown has become second largest in the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe and the city hosts the North of England's biggest Chinese New Year celebrations.

The programme of events for 2016 began on 4th February and culminated in the spectacular Dragon Parade on Sunday 7th February, watched thousands of people who packed the streets between the Town Hall at Albert Square and the city’s Chinatown district.


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright David Dixon and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
This photo is linked from: Automatic Clusters: · Street [856] · Setting [262] ·
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SJ8497, 2109 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
David Dixon   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 7 February, 2016   (more nearby)
Submitted
Wednesday, 10 February, 2016
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 841 979 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:28.6712N 2:14.4442W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SJ 841 979
View Direction
North-northwest (about 337 degrees)
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Image classification(about): Supplemental image
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