My Share for #BeautifulSunday initiated by @ace108

Happy Chinese New Year Steemians! Let me share with you the celebration in the world's oldest China town in Binondo Manila, Philippines. This is the first time we have celebrated Chinese New Year and we wanted to see what is it all about. The dragon dance, the lucky charms, the food and the celebration in the streets we wanted to experience first hand. Come and join me in celebrating..................

The Year of the Dog

We went to Binondo not knowing what to expect during Chinese New Year. Last time we went here we just had dinner at an authentic Chinese restaurant and it was amazing. Upon entering the district the streets were already packed. Lots of foreign nationals, locals and police were everywhere for security.

This is the first scene that welcomed us a dragon dance by children. Made from painted boxes and paper cups the kids were putting on a show. They were pulling in an audience the young, the old, photographers and tourists were enjoying the show. They danced along with the beat of drums made from empty water containers.

A box that says "Change only please"

We moved on and saw the south bridge entrance to Manila China town. The streets were packed with people and you would need to squeeze in to get thru.

Dragons were starting to show up everywhere and excitement in me was building up. So many things to see the place was a photographer's dream.

Lucky charms sold were everywhere and it was also a large street market filled will all sorts of goods. From fruits, balloons, street food and even pet fishes.

In celebration of this Year of the Dog there was no shortage of the dog figures being sold. It was everywhere being sold on the sidewalks.

The bright color red of the lanterns in shops was a major attraction and a lot of people had their photos taken in front of the shops. Those lanterns are amazing and wanted to get one for our home but I will get one some other time when there is less crowd. It would be really hard to carry the lantern around while taking photos. The Chinese shops was an eye candy of all sorts of decorations and I don't know what they all are. They are all beautiful with the red and gold colors all over the place.

We got hungry from all that walking and still more people are coming in for the celebration. We went to this place called Estero which is very popular and we tried to get a table but was hopeless. All seats were filled and there were still a lot waiting for a seat so we decided to look for some place else.

We decided to have dumplings instead in also one of the popular dumpling restaurants here. Again the line was long and it was impossible to get a place to eat here during Chinese New Year. So I just took some photos instead from the glass window outside. Which is a lesson learned come earlier to get a seat or just bring some food with you instead as I say it is extremely hard to get a seat specially in the popular places.

My aunt asked me to buy some Hopia a moon cake filled with bean which is a Chinese delicacy . The best Hopia in town can be bought in Eng Bee Tim. Guess what people lined up for like more than a block and we had to abandon the Hopia. We just ended up eating lunch later in the afternoon on one of the restaurants.

Continuing with the celebration politicians were also a part of it in a parade. Even though the streets were crowded they managed to get thru with a convoy made up of the politicians and the Chinese Chamber for Commerce.

Free shirts were being thrown at the crowd along with candies. This scene drew a crowd as everyone wanted a piece of the stuff being given away. There were also Red Envelopes being handed out to some of the people. I just don't know how much is inside the envelope which made some people more aggressive to get an envelope.

A clash of cultures and people from all walks of life can be seen together in this celebration which is amazing.

Street performers were every where. The drum beats were so loud giving this celebration a more lively atmosphere around you. The street party has some sort of a Mardi Gras feeling to it as well. I never expected for Chinese New Year to be this fun and exciting in our country. This is something we will be doing again next year for sure.

After all of that we went to see the more solemn side of the festivity. People praying and offering incense and candles for their request and wishes this year. Mix of cultures and beliefs which merges into one is such a beautiful sight to see.

A wishing tree where you could write what your heart desires. For me I would just wish peace, prosperity and love for everyone. If my wish would come true our world would be a better place to live in.

As we leave I look back at that arch that takes you to an amazing place within the city. A vibrant busy place which I have experienced and loved the magic of this culture.

Thanks for joining me in the celebration and have a blessed Chinese New Year everyone!

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All photos are original and taken with Lumix

GX85 and 12-32 mm