Lunar New Year 2020 Winter Lanterns at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC – Tống Mai

Jan 25, 2020 (TM)

Winter Lanterns, một triển lãm đèn lồng từ vùng Zigong của China tại Kennedy Center for Performing Arts nhân dịp Tết Canh Tý. 100 chiếc đèn lồng lụa xinh đẹp rực rỡ tỏa sáng cả sân cỏ, trong đó có 12 con giáp trong Chinese Zodiac. Nhưng bốn linh vật đẹp nhất, nổi bật nhất là tứ thần Thanh Long (Rồng Xanh), Chu Tước (Phượng Đỏ), Bạch Hổ và Huyền Vũ (Hắc Rùa).

Exhibition chấm dứt ngày mai, January 26.

Tống Mai
Tết Canh Tý – Jan 25, 2020

 

Chinese Four Symbols
The Azure Dragon the the East, the Vermillion Bird of the South,
the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Turtle of the Norht are mythological creatures appearing
among the constellations and are viewed as the guardians of the four cardinal directions

The Vermillion Bird (Chu Tước)

The Turtle (Huyền Vũ)

The Turtle

The Vermillion Bird and the Turtle

The Azure Dragon (Thanh Long)

The White Tiger of the West, the Vermillion Bird of the South

The Azure Dragon and the White Tiger ( Bạch Hổ)

The Serpent

The Panda Bear

The Jelly Fish

The Jelly Fish

The West side of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

 

CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE ZODIAC

RAT: People born in the year of the Rat are blessed with personal charm. They are elegant by nature and strive for the best in life. They are hardworking, thrifty, and can save a great deal of money. They have a tendency to hoard unnecessary provisions. They deny themselves nothing and buy the best of everything. Rats are clever, quick thinkers, successful, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life.The ideal marriage partner for the Rat people are Dragon, Ox, Monkey, Boar and Dog.  They make good businessmen, storekeepers, bankers, accountants, writers.

1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020.   Famous Rats include William Shakespeare (1564), George Washington (1732), Tchaikovsky (1840), Leo Tolstoy (1828), T.S. Eliot (1888), Richard Nixon (1913), Truman Capote (1924), and George Washington (1732).

OX: Hardworking and down to earth,  Ox people are quiet and patient, yet anger easily and display it openly.  They are exceptionally clever and creative.  Madame Ox makes a perfect housewife and wonderful hostess. Mister Ox can be very tender and dear and is known for his romanticism. Oxen are the hard workers in the background, intelligent and reliable, but never demanding praise. The best partners for people born in Ox year would be the Rat, Rooster, or Snake. Ox people should seek their fortune as a surgeon, dentist, mechanic, architect, tailor.

1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021. Famous Oxen: Hitler (1889), Napoleon (1769), and Richard Nixon (1913).

TIGER: Waltz through life carefree, often exposing themselves to great risk. Narrow-mindedness and suspiciousness are their great faults. Their career exemplifies them as great thinkers and careful planners. Tigers display overwhelming generosity, charm and courage.

1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022. Famous Tigers: Beethoven (1770), Gandhi (1869), Frederic Hegel (1770), Richard Strauss (1864), Felix Mendelssohn (1809), Stalin (1878); Marilyn Monroe (1926), Karl Marx (1818), Charles de Gaulle (1890), Jiang Zemin (1926).

CAT: People born in the year of the Cat possess good judgement, creativity, cautiousness, conservativeness, talent and ambition. They are also superficial, self indulgent, stubborn and have mood swings. They feel comfortable in social situations and being alone, never want to settle down or be committed to one person. They are kind and helpful but tend to listen to themselves and don’t care what others think.

1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023.  Famous Cats: Albert Einstein (1879), Andy Warhol (1928), and Orson Welles (1915)

DRAGON: One of the most flamboyant signs of the zodiac, Dragons symbolized life, growth, and blessings of longevity, riches, virtue and harmony.  They are also bossy, loud, garish, and unfaithful, but also popular and successful. Dragons are strong and independent figures, but they yearn for support and love.

1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024.  Famous Dragons: Charles Darwin (1809), Grace Kelly (1928), Napoleon III (1808), Deng Xiaoping (1904), John Lennon(1940)

SERPENT: Chinese mythology’s icon for cleverness, Snakes are known for abstract thoughts and idealism. Those born under the sign of the of the Serpent are romantic, passionate, charming, and well informed. In general, the men are handsome and sleek; the women are graceful and beautiful. Men born in the Snake year are mysterious and experienced. They are gentle and know how to say the right things. They are also creative and empathetic.

Women born in the Snake year are quiet, graceful and elegant. They are beautiful, both inside and out. Their confidence is manifested in their high fashion and appreciation for classic art. Serpents are intellectuals, philosophers and deep thinkers. They strive to succeed in all that they do.  Snakes have a deep and complex mind, but if they love, they love with all their heart. Snakes are brave and decisive in their actions. They are born leaders who have a balanced mix of strictness and freedom. Sometimes they are arrogant, but even in a crowd, their aura can be sensed easily. Snake people should seek careers as professors, writers, philosophers, politicians, psychiatrists.

1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025.  Famous Snakes: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749), Pablo Picasso (1881), Mao Zedong (1917), John F. Kennedy (1917), Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929), Bob Dylan (1941) Greta Garbo, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929), J. K. Rowling (1965)

HORSE: Horses are hard-working, and consider themselves superior to everyone. Horses insist on having their way, making them prime political candidates. Horses are free spirits and need space for themselves. They are full of imagination and look at everything from a unique perspective and always want to express their ideas. They can be emotionally sensitive, kind, generous, independent and make efficient leaders. Horses are romantic, sentimental and faithful. They are eloquent and pervasive, have insight into others’ mind, so they can always give proper response. They have acute ability of learning and perceiving. A skill or knowledge can be acquired in much shorter time than others.

1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026. Famous Horses: Nikita Khrushchev (1894) and Leonard Bemstein (1918)

SHEEP:  Sheeps are loving and selfless, always thinking of others, even if it works against their own interest. They are warm hearted and honest, but disorganized and vulnerable. They do not respond well to pressure, but will find their own natural solution to a problem when given space. People born under the sign of the Sheep are elegant, charming, generous, wise and gentle. They are also pessimistic, hesitant, and over-anxious. Uncertainty causes the Sheep to seek giudance from others while their timidity prevents them from becoming leaders. They are deeply religious and highly talented in the fields of art and music.

1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027. Famous Sheep: Eva Peron (1919), Bill Gates (1955),

MONKEY:  Monkeys’ most defining trait is their intelligence. As children, they win awards and the praises of teachers. As adults, they gain professional recognition and make great leaders. Those born in the year of the Monkey are intelligent and entertaining, but also dangerous, with a flare for deception. They make close friends, although they can not be trusted.

1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028. Famous Monkeys: American President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908), Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (1943) and Joan Crawford.

ROOSTER The rooster embodies courage, arrogance, and recklessness. People born in the year of the Rooster are skilled at what they do and attentive to details.They are industrious, diligent and devoted to work. Roosters are complex people who seem strong but, deep down, need validation from loved ones. They are perfectionists and will directly criticize what they think unfit. They are logical and good at managing teams. Patient and reliable, they gain trust easily. Everything is smooth in their career life. No efforts go to waste and they’ll gain satisfying results. Men born in the Rooster year like to help others solve problems. They’ll study all aspects before making a decision.  Women born in the Rooster year are caring and down to earth. They can’t stand seeing others make mistakes. They will always help set them back on the right path. Responsible and organized, they tend to ignore when others tell them what to do.  They’re confident, but not conceited. They are typically home-oriented, but crave for a position of high power. Deep down, they want to be appreciated by others. If given the chance, they’ll unleash their true potential.

1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029. Famous Roosters: Richard Wagner (1813), Leonardo da Vinci (1452), Benjamin Franklin (1706), Frederic Chopin (1810)

DOG:  People born in the year of the Dog possess many fine traits. They are honest, loyal and have a deep sense of duty. They are the champions for justice and freedom. Quiet but intelligent, they are introverted listeners, dedicated and honest but also cynical and prone to letting their external anxieties get the better of them. Men born in the Dog year are straightforward and genuine. They are energetic, though they’re more pessimistic inside. Very opinionated, they’re always ready to correct others and defend their stance.  Women born in the Dog year are very cautious. They are indifferent towards people they don’t like, and don’t trust easily. But once they do, it’s permanent. They are intensely protective of their friends and family. They are genial and independent, hard working and don’t give up until they succeed.

1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030.  Famous Dogs: Issac Newton (1643), Benjamin Franklin (1706), Mother Theresa (1910), Charles Mingus (1922), James Joyce (1882), Michael Jackson (1958)

PIG Pigs are honest and reliable. Their thirst for knowledge is unquenchable. Often successful in financial affairs, Pigs are also idealists who sacrifice their lives for good causes.

1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2020, 2031. Famous Pigs: John D Rockefeller (1839) and Albert Schweitzer (1875)

 

 

 

 

 

14 thoughts on “Lunar New Year 2020 Winter Lanterns at the Kennedy Center, Washington DC – Tống Mai

      1. Hà nghe nói ở Staten Island cũng có triển lãm tương tự nhưng chưa đi. Còn người Nhật thì họ có cả một festival về đèn long, lớn lắm. Hà cũng chỉ nghe nói và xem phim thôi. Mới vừa ngắm ảnh Mai chụp lần nữa, bụng tấm tắc khen, Mai canh ánh sáng thật là tuyệt.

    1. Dear Susanna the Rooster, you made me remember a beautiful parable I’d read long ago about the painting of a rooster : )

      The Artist
      By Tuvia Bolton

      Once there was a great and wise king who loved roosters. He was so inspired by their majestic fierceness, their flashing colors, their every graceful move, that he commissioned hundreds of artists to draw giant paintings of roosters to hang on the wall of his palatial throne room. But to his dismay, none of the portraits were to his liking. He invited greater artists, and then even greater ones, but was left unsatisfied.

      So he sent invitations to three of the greatest artists in the world, along with fine presents and promises of fame and fortune. Each would receive fifty thousand gold pieces, in addition to a fine house with servants and all their needs, for one year, and at the end of that time the king would pay one million gold pieces for any picture that found favor in his eyes. The year passed swiftly, and word of the three pictures spread throughout the kingdom.

      The day of the unveiling arrived. A massive stadium, built especially for the occasion at the king’s orders, was packed with thousands of noisy people. On the stage were the three huge canvases, each covered with its own ornate curtain.

      The crowd fell silent as the first artist approached his canvas, hesitated a moment, took hold of the cord that opened the curtain, and turned to face the king. The king nodded, and the artist, without even turning around, triumphantly pulled the cord. A hum went up from the crowd. It was a masterpiece.

      The king rose from his royal seat, walked to the picture, examined it from near and from afar, and announced: “It is truly a work of genius, but . . . it is not exactly what I want.”

      The crowd was abuzz as the king returned to his seat and motioned for the second artist to approach. The same scene repeated itself: silence, tension, the victorious pull of the cord. This time, when the painting was uncovered, shouts of “Bravo!” were heard. But the king, although he admitted that the picture was exquisite, was still not satisfied.

      Finally the third artist approached and stood by his picture. Again the king nodded. But the artist, before he pulled the cord, made a request. “Your Majesty, I humbly ask that you make no judgment of my work until fifteen minutes after it is unveiled.” An unusual request, but the king nodded in agreement. The artist pulled the cord and revealed—the crowd gasped—an empty canvas!

      “What is the meaning of this?!” shouted the king, but remembering his promise, he fell silent. The artist, meanwhile, had paid no attention to the king’s outburst. He was concentrating on the empty canvas before him, palette in one hand and brush in the other. Suddenly he began to paint.

      The colors flowed from his very being. The lines danced, changing like fire, like a rushing river, like a field of wheat, like the eyes of a child, of a king.

      And then, after ten minutes, the picture was finished and the artist turned to face the king.

      Everyone was so silent you could hear only the wind; everyone was frozen as though hypnotized.

      Then someone broke the spell and began clapping, then another and another, until the crowd was like thunder, on their feet, whistling, clapping and shouting, “Bravo! Bravo!” The king rose from his seat with open arms, walked to the artist and embraced him with tears in his eyes. “This is what I have been seeking!” The other two artists raised his arms in victory and were weeping with emotion.

  1. Những hình đèn lồng 12 con giáp Mai chụp đẹp quá.
    Ng thích nhất là hình con Rồng Xanh.
    Tuổi con Rắn nhiều chi tiết ha!
    Thân thương

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