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In honor of the most celebrated sign of the Chinese Zodiac, The Venetian and The Palazzo are commemorating the prosperous holiday in an over-the-top fashion. Beginning with a ceremonial dragon dance at 1 p.m. on Jan. 23, the Chinese New Year celebrations include lavish feng shui-inspired décor, auspicious dish offerings and festive cocktails.

DRAGON DANCE AND EYE PAINTING CEREMONY ON JAN. 23

Symbolizing good luck and prosperity for the upcoming year, the dragon dance is an important ritual of Chinese culture. On Monday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. , a ceremonial dragon dance complete with firecrackers and eye painting ceremony will begin at The Venetian porte cochere, making its way through The Palazzo. The colorful spectacle will feature a parade of dancers and musicians dressed in elaborate costumes playing authentic music.

FIRE-BREATHING, 128-FOOT DRAGON TO MAKE THE PALAZZO ITS HOME

The Waterfall & Atrium Gardens of The Palazzo will host Las Vegas’ premier Chinese New Year attraction as a 128-foot hand-crafted, fire-breathing dragon is suspended above in the 65-foot-high space. Spanning the entire atrium, the one-of-a-kind, 8,000-pound dragon will be perched amidst the ground fountain and breathe fire from Jan. 23 through Feb. 5 at 1 and 5 p.m. (2 p.m. on Chinese New Year Day following the dragon dance).

Regarded as the mightiest of signs, the dragon symbolizes such traits as ambition, passion and success. Those who possess the sign of the Dragon are said to take risks, are unafraid of challenges and embody colorful personalities.

“During Chinese New Year, it is beneficial to visit the dragon for its blessing and protection. It is good luck to walk around the entire dragon three times in a clockwise motion to remove obstacles for 2012,” said Peter Lung, with World of Feng Shui, who consulted on the design of the dragon. “You should build friendships with those who possess the sign of the dragon for better luck and blessings in the New Year.”

The west garden will be complete with rocks, plants and metals representing earth elements while the east garden will embody water elements with live orange Koi fish and one black fish to represent Yin and Yang, the ancient Chinese philosophy of polar opposites being interconnected and interdependent.

“The dragon is the most powerful of the zodiac signs. We had to create something that Las Vegas would never forget,” said Dana Beatty, director of horticulture for The Venetian and The Palazzo. “From the number and location of our displays to the length and direction of the dragon, everything about the Waterfall & Atrium Gardens is feng shui-inspired, creating the perfect environment to bring wealth and prosperity in 2012.”

A secret friend to the dragon, a rooster will sit to the west of the ground fountain. The two zodiacs are compatible with one another and together bring harmony, wealth and lucky relationships.

The gardens and entrances to both The Venetian and The Palazzo will be adorned with fresh bamboo, citrus trees and 15-foot floral arrangements of tangerines, bromeliads and orchids. Nine traditional I-Ching coins, representing an abundance of wealth, will surround the dragon and Lalique statues of The Palazzo. Six-foot-tall, hand-loomed brocade silk and jade gold and red lanterns will be suspended from the atrium ceilings signifying the lives of those around to always be bright.

The larger-than-life dragon took more than 60 designers, conceptualists, welders and painters from across the globe more than a year to create and will take nearly 10 days to construct onsite.

CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR WITH AUSPICIOUS DISHES AND FESTIVE COCKTAILS

During Chinese New Year, guests can enjoy auspicious dishes at The Palazzo’s Zine Noodles Dim Sum , ranked as one of the top 10 Chinese restaurants in the U.S. by Chinese Restaurant News.

Celebrated chef Simon To has created limited-time signature dishes including Live Lobster with golden garlic and spicy salt – the word “lobster” resembles that of “dragon” in Chinese, representing positive energy; Firecracker Manila Clams , infused with Chinese white wine, fish paste and spicy roasted pepper – representing hidden treasures, the dish brings wealth into the coming year; and Buddha Feast Creation, sautéed seasonal vegetables with ginger juice – meaning “a whole, good, healthy family for the entire year.”

Guests can also enjoy refreshing infusions including a Chamomile and Lychee Ice Tea, Green Tea with Rosemary, Chili and Lemon and the signature Dragon Cocktail created from vodka, ginger liqueur, lime, a spring of tarragon, lemongrass syrup and lemon rind. These refreshing libations will be served at each of bars and lounges at The Venetian and The Palazzo.

The Chinese New Year décor and specialty food & beverage offerings will be available through the end of February.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 8th, 2012 at 1:20 pm and is filed under Las Vegas News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.