China celebrates the New Year with people dancing beneath a dragon costume.
The tradition is called the dragon dance and is especially associated with Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival. A team of performers holds poles attached to sections of a long, flexible dragon puppet, moving in coordinated waves that make the creature appear to twist and surge through the streets.
The Chinese dragon is traditionally linked with power, dignity, wisdom, fertility, and auspiciousness. Unlike many Western dragons, it is generally viewed as benevolent rather than evil. During New Year celebrations, the dance is meant to welcome good fortune and prosperity. Drums, gongs, cymbals, and firecrackers often accompany the performance.
The dragon dance is also performed in Chinese communities around the world, so China is the country most directly associated with the custom, but it is not the only place where people celebrate this way. It is also distinct from the lion dance, which uses a shorter costume operated by two performers and represents a different traditional creature.