Carnaval Austin & Carnevale All Around the World!

  Carnevale Float Den in Viareggio

Carnaval /Carnevale

Carnaval in Austin is one of the biggest Brazilian carnaval celebrations outside Brazil – samba, costumes and wild abandon – Brasileiro style in the heart of Texas.
This event is Big Fun!
We will be adorning bodies for the festivities!
If I could just clone myself I would be in Brazil,Venezia and Viareggio too!

Mardi Gras ArchmasqueradeVenetian mask Face Painting Competition in TorontoOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Happy Chinese New Year 2022!

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Chinese Dragon & Lion DancersLion & Dragon Dancers GroupPicHappy-New-Year-20171 053bd1377ff2f8252e69b85ed3944ac0


Gong Hei Fat Choi, which loosely translates to “Congratulations & Be Prosperous”.

Many locations in town will have Lion & Dragon Dances performing to bring Good Luck into the New Year…Find one near you , it is glorious to see & hear !

Chinese Lion Dancers

Chinese Lion Dancer

 

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Traditionally,Red Envelopes are given 壓歲錢/压岁钱 (yàsuìqián, which was evolved from 壓祟錢/压祟钱, literally, the money used to suppress or put down the evil spirit) during this period.   It is custom and polite for children to wish elders a happy new year and a year of happiness, health and good fortune before accepting the red envelope.Red envelopes are then kept under the pillow and slept on for seven days after Chinese New Year before opening because it symbolizes good luck and fortune when you sleep on the red envelopes for seven nights.

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For more about Chinese New Year  please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

Dragon dance and Lion dance Dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the Dragon or lion dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits. Lion dances are also popular for opening of businesses in Hong Kong and Macau. Seattle ID night market - lion dance 06.jpg

Dança do dragão.jpg

Groundhog Day, Carnavale, & Mardi Gras

Groundhog Day, Carnavale, & Mardi Gras

Winter Blues VS. Spring Has Sprung!

Groundhog Day, forever immortalized in the Bill Murray comedy by the same name, is February 2, which is when the furry little marmots reveal whether we can ditch our cold weather gear & if it is warm enough to shed your laundry  for Carnavale (if it’s cloudy on Groundhog Day, then spring is coming; if it’s sunny, then there will be six more weeks of winter). In honor of this American and Canadian celebration….think Spring!