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Beautiful Girls and Good Fortune abound at the Araneta Center

It’s the Asian New Year! Over at the Araneta Center, there will be dragon and lion dances everywhere as it is around the world. There will also be a whole lot of family-centered dinners of dumplings and noodles, fish and other succulent and traditional dishes.

But the Chinese New Year over at the Araneta Center will be different from the rest. That’s because on February 3, forty beautiful ladies that form the official roster of Bb. Pilipinas 2011 will be on hand to greet the revelers. Plus its ongoing promo “Shop, Dine and Win” promises to augur good fortune for everyone.

Though Chinese New Year falls on February 3 this year, the celebrations start as early as January 29 with the Chinese Horoscope Exhibit at the malls of the center – Gateway, Farmers and the New Ali Mall.

Then on February 2 and 3, establishments in the 30 plus hectare area will be visited by the traditional lion and dragon dance to ward off unwanted spirits and herald in brand new business. According to ancient Chinese tradition, the dragon, an emblem of the Chinese emperors visits to wish everyone peace, prosperity and good fortune. The lion dance on the other hand has performers prancing in bright red and gold costumes to the sound of drums. This is supposedly to ward off evil spirits. If you’re a shop owner, you’ll probably be wearing red, and will be expected to “feed” the lion red envelopes or “ang pao” stuffed with money. The symbolism of feeding the lion emanates from the belief that since he’s getting rid of the bad vibes that happened in the past year and raking in the new lucky things, you’ve got to reward him for a job well done.

At 6pm, a unique highly-anticipated meet and greet session with the newly proclaimed official candidates of the Bb. Pilipinas 2011 search will take place. Forty lovely ladies comprise the official roster and they will all be clad in traditional lucky red cocktail dresses. The color red is an important aspect of the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival originating from an old tale about the man-eating beast Nian who feared the color red. You still have time to get that red frock from the upscale boutiques at the Gateway Mall and Ali Mall.

At 7pm, the fireworks display kicks off from the Farmers Plaza. This spectacular pyrotechnics display will be seen from all over the Araneta Center. Both in ancient China and today, fireworks are believed to have the power to fend off evil spirits and ghosts.

Then of course comes the feasting. You can shop and dine at any of the participating outlets at Araneta Center. You can feast on roasted chicken, which in Chinese sounds similar to “health”. Or you can treat the entire family to a dinner of fish and noodles. The Chinese word for fish sounds like “abundance” and so a whole fish served during the new year augurs good fortune. Uncut noodles also signify long life.

But the best part is while dining at your favorite restaurant at Gateway, Ali Mall or Farmers Plaza, you can even stretch your good fortune and win tickets to the much awaited concerts this February. “Shop, dine and Win Tickets “to concerts featuring Trini Lopez, Stephen Bishop, Dan Hill & Yvonne Elliman, Martin Nievera & Sarah Geronimo, Super Junior and even Taylor Swift!

Indeed, the good fortune, pretty ladies, great eats, shopping and entertainment abound at the Chinese New Year celebration at the Araneta Center.