Artworks courtesy of (Top L-R) Kaikodo LLC, Ippodo Gallery, Zetterquist Galleries; (Bottom L-R) Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art, Kapoor Galleries, Alisan Fine Arts

As we enter this New Year of the Dragon on February 10th, we at Asia Week New York wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous year ahead!

Throughout East Asia, this festive occasion is celebrated with a variety of traditions to encourage good health and prosperity in the coming year. While there are regional variations, the primary activities are cleaning one’s home, hanging red decorations for good luck, offering respect to one’s ancestors, visiting family, lighting firecrackers to ward off demons, gifting money in red packets to children and subordinates, and eating lots of food. Edibles that are thought to bring good fortune are fish, which is synonymous in Chinese with “surplus”; dumplings in the shape of silver ingots to ensure prosperity; and niangao, which symbolizes advancement in the New Year. Conversely, anything that might risk losing the holiday’s good luck, such as washing one’s hair or sweeping the floor, is avoided. This two-week celebration ends with the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the New Year.

People born in the year of the dragon are considered charismatic, intelligent, confident and powerful, and they are naturally lucky and gifted. In everything that they do, they tend to do it to the best of their ability with high standards.

Dragons also hold a significant place as auspicious and extraordinary creatures symbolizing power, nobility and honor and have, therefore, been widely depicted throughout the long history of Asian art, as seen in the works above.

We hope you celebrate this Lunar New Year with family, friends and beautiful works of art!