By Jue Ji
Dragon Year is coming! Dragon Year is coming! The Chinese zodiac animal in 2024 is DRAGON! Why are Chinese people so excited about the coming of Dragon Year? What do people expect from Dragon Year? Where do dragons live? Among the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, dragon is the most mystic one because nobody has ever seen a living dragon in the world. However, many dragon talks are dedicated to this auspicious, yet mysterious animal in ancient China.
Dragons are auspicious because they are inseparable from ancient Chinese royal families. Ancient Chinese emperors were regarded as clans of dragons; emperors were associated with power, esteem, and wisdom that which are contributed to the dragon clan, too. Chinese civilians in ancient times were dreaming of entering the dragon family. One way to semi-actualize this dream is to be born in the Year of Dragon. Therefore, the birth rate in the Year of Dragon would soar much higher than that of other zodiac animal years. Babies born in the Year of Dragon are regarded as dragon daughters and dragon sons, seemingly wearing the halo of the royal family simply by being born in those auspicious dragon years. 
The Chinese New Year celebration in 2024 starts from the eve of Chinese New Year on Feb 9. It is a big family reunion event, similar to Thanksgiving in the States. Schools and corporations are closed to allow students and employees to gather with their families. Sitting at a round table, eating special dishes entitled with all kinds of auspicious names, family members enjoy the food that hold them together and talk about their study, work, and dreams. Chinese Buddhists would go to nearby Buddhist temples to chant and dedicate merits to the health and longevity of their senior family members. People would stay as late as 12:00am before they go to sleep, believing that this will bring longevity to their senior family members. Of course, while waiting for the midnight to come, the most exciting moment for kids is collecting “red envelope”, which contains not only money but also a touch of loving care from the giver.
The first day, Feb 10 in 2024, of the Chinese New Year is also Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Birthday. Maitreya Bodhisava is regarded as the Buddha to come after Sakyamuni Buddha. People would go to the Buddhist temples to offer their first incense to the Buddha, praying for an auspicious beginning of a year and reminding themselves of the importance of spiritual cultivation. People greet one another, saying “gongxi, gongxi”, congratulations for outliving year 2023 and welcoming a successful year in 2024. Buddhist temples would usually host a special chanting service, praying to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the past, the present, and the future, wishing calmness of each individual, harmony of family, stability of the country, and peace of the world. While adults enjoy a break during the Chinese New Year holidays, kids would be attracted to experience cultural performances, such lion dance, dragon dance, kung fu practice, calligraphy writing, Tai Chi, martial arts, classical Chinese music, dancing, choir singing, origami, papercutting, Chinese knots, puzzle games, and so on. These cultural experiences and delicious vegetarian foods are available at Chinese Buddhist temples, such as Xiang Yun Temple, on Feb 11, 2024.
A 2024 Chinese New Year blessing written in Chinese calligraphy by Venerable Master Hsing Yun, reads, “May You Be Free as Cloud and Water, Auspicious and Joyful.” Dragon is used as a metaphor representing freedom, unobstructed by any difficulties or hardship, moving freely just like clouds in the air and water in the ocean. Happy Chinese New Year in the Year of Dragon!
