Chinese New Year 2024

Year of the Dragon

Today is Chinese New Year's Day, the beginning of the Year of the Dragon in the 12-year Chinese calendar cycle.

In Chinese mythology, the dragon is not an evil creature like the Western dragon.  Rather, it is a symbol of strength, good luck, and nobility.  The Chinese Emperors chose the dragon as their symbol, unlike England, where the patron saint is St. George, who killed a dragon.

The oriental dragon has a long-snake-like body, legs with claws, and a head similar to a Western dragon, but it does not breathe fire, and it does not have wings.

Above is a house decoration in Bhutan of a dragon and a penis.  We commented in a previous post why houses are decorated with penises in Bhutan.  This one adds a dragon for luck.

Dragons are also favorite subjects for tattoos, especially in Japan.  Above, a Japanese-style tattoo.

A guy on a nude beach showing his dragon tattoo.

This tattoo belongs to a guy who calls himself Onebig_tattoo on Twitter.  On his back is a dragon ...

and his one big tattoo wraps around his sides to his front.

Here's a dragon tattoo that extends all the way down to the guy's penis.

And this guy chose a much smaller but strategically placed tattoo of an oriental dragon.  Remember, it stands for strength and good luck!

We end with a clip from a video of a guy who calls himself Damian Dragon, and sure enough, he has a dragon tattooed on his chest.

Happy New Year to you all, and may the Year of the Dragon bring you good luck!