Year of the Dog – Chinatown in 35mm!

Hey everyone!

Happy Chinese New Year to our readers! Every year we dedicate a post to the celebration of a brand new year in the Chinese calendar, and this year is no different! Once again, we traveled to the heart of Chinese tradition in Singapore: Chinatown! This time, we kept things simple and used a Canon EOS 55, a relatively modern 35mm film camera (with auto-focus and auto-exposure settings) with a 50mm f/1.4 STM lens and Kodak ColourPlus 200 film.

The Year of the Dog

As with every year that passes in the Chinese calendar, the Zodiac symbol changes, and this year is the Year of the Dog! As a result, people born every 12 years before 2018 (as there are 12 Zodiac symbols) are said to possess traits of the animal (personality and character obviously, not physical ones). As such, a person born in the Year of the Dog is said to be loyal, honest and just (if you’d like to find out more regarding known traits, compatibility and other information, check out this website)!

At Chinatown, the CNY decorations and festivities were in full flow, and unsurprisingly, one can find a lot of dog-themed commodities for sale! We earnestly sought to capture the spirit of CNY with our photos:

F1000020 — As evening settled down, the CNY lights were up in full flow.

F1000023 — From high above the bustling sidewalks, Chinatown was awash with visitors from near and far.

F1000024 — Chinese firecrackers (which are evidently not ‘real’ because Singapore prohibits sale of such items), which in Chinese traditions are used to ward off evil spirits.

F1000027 — Casual passers-by inspecting the quality of goods on sale!

F1000028 — Caishen (財神; pictured below) is known as the God of Prosperity in Chinese folklore/Taoism; his relevance to CNY is unsurprising as prosperity is welcomed during this festive season.

F1000029 — Chinese delicacies on sale, which are often consumed when visiting friends and relatives.

F1000033 — Some people were very enthusiastic about celebrating the Year of the Dog!

CNY is a time of jovial celebrations and well-wishes, as families and friends get together to bless one another with ang baos and merrymaking. Indeed we have had our fair share of visitations, enjoying way too much good food and reuniting with old pals. We hope to spread the CNY festivity to our readers (who may or may not be celebrating CNY) this year.

新年快乐！(xīn nián kuài lè)
Have a Happy New Year!

Till next time,

Damianwithsandra