360 in 365 – Joachim voyage autour du monde

Dragons in Kota Kinabalu

You first hear the percussions and gongs from the street corner, and when you get there, past the little crowd, you can see them : the New Year dragons, dancing on a doorstep to bring wealth to the home. During the Lunar New Year week, dragon dancers troupes are paid by chinese families to come perform for luck and prosperity.

Malaysia has a big Chinese minority. In every major city there’s a Chinatown and you can hear hakka (Hokkien dialect) and Cantonese (from Guangzhou), and you really get a feeling you’re back in China, lah!

Neighbors came from all around to see the dances, the yellow or white dragons jumping on pillars two meters high following the crazy rythm of drums and cymbals. And at the end, kids give the dancers a red envelope with money inside, you know, to bring luck and wealth. Right, why wouldn’t you offer money to bring more money?

So yeah here in Kota Kinabalu, New Year’s week is over, but people are late. It’s blurry and contrasty because my 800iso isn’t so great.