The Hidden Dragon and the Crouching Lion
The Hidden Dragon and the Crouching Lion Collin Leong. Feb 14, 2016 Chinese New Year is here again this week. This year, in 2016, it's the year of the "red monkey", one of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. In Chinese mythology, there was a great and ferocious dragon called "Nien" that came out once a year to devour the villagers. A wise monk told the villagers that the dragon can only be scared away by the color red and by loud noises, hence the use of firecrackers. Families wore red and hang red cloth over their door frames. In this way, the dragon Nien will be afraid and pass over them. Thus in Chinese, observing the New Year is called "Guo Nien" which literally means to "Pass over" or to survive the dragon Nien. Interestingly, there is also a symbolic "dragon" in Christianity. We read this in the book of Revelation 12: 7-9: "Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his ange...