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How To Make A Chinese Dragon Puppet

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Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, I would like to wish all my Chinese readers and visitors a very Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Ca! 新年快乐,万事如意, 龙马精神,身体健康, 恭喜发财!

During the 15 days of the Chinese New Year celebration, the most common traditional event you will get to see is Lion and Dragon Dance. I can’t make those big real size dragon costumes, but I found some kid craft tutorials for making Chinese Dragon Puppets, I hope you like them.

This year, Chinese New Year comes a little early than usual, normally it falls between the end of Jan to mid of Feb. According to the Chinese / Lunar Calendar, the year change to Dragon on the 4th of February, the official day of Spring [立春]. A baby born after the day of spring [立春] is called a dragon baby, whilst those who were born before 4th Feb 2012 is still Rabbit baby.

[The Chinese dragon (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍; pinyin: lóng) is the highest-ranking animal in the Chinese animal hierarchy, strongly associated at one time with the emperor and hence power and majesty (the mythical bird Fenghuang was the symbol of the Chinese empress), still recognized and revered. Its origins are vague, but its “ancestors can be found on Neolithic pottery as well as Bronze Age ritual vessels.”[17] Tradition is composed of nine different animals, with nine sons, each with its own imagery and affiliations. It is the only mythological animal of the 12 animals that represent the Chinese calendar. 2012 is the Chinese year of the Water Dragon.
Source: Wikipedia]

Excited about the Chinese New Year already? Here are more Chinese New Year Crafts and Recipes to make. I hope this post will inspire you to enjoy the tradition of the Chinese New Year. There are many interesting legendary stories behind this 15-day festival.

After this short break, I will be back with more crafts to celebrate Chinese New Year with friends and family.

14 Chinese Dragon Puppets &

Dragon Crafts For Kids To Make

Author bio

Joanne Loh

~ Founder and Editor ~
Born into a creative family, Joanne Loh has over 40 years of experience in sewing, crocheting, and knitting. Well-known for her creative approach to DIY crafts, her creations demonstrate a strong dedication to quality and spreading her enthusiasm among the crafting community.
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Dan Navarro

Sunday 10th of June 2012

Nossa adorei todo o site. Amo descobrir como representar outras culturas. Os dragões nos remetem a tradição e sabedoria e amei a forma descontraída de construir que você mostrou aqui! Parabéns!

Translation (by Google): We loved the entire site. I love figuring out how to represent other cultures. Dragons take us back to tradition and wisdom and loved the relaxed way of building that you showed here! Congratulations!

Craft Passion

Sunday 10th of June 2012

Hi Dan, Thanks for loving Craft Passion. The Dragon Puppet wasn't my creation but I found it at Family Fun, thought of sharing it here :)

خياطة وتفصيل

Monday 6th of February 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Maureen

Wednesday 25th of January 2012

Joanne,

I love your posts! Hope your New Year was great.

Maureen

Joanne law

Tuesday 24th of January 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Ideas4cards via Facebook

Tuesday 24th of January 2012

Very nice and cozy! If you can say this about a dragon :)