The Chinese New Year kicked off yesterday in Panama, ushering in the Year of the Water Dragon with celebrations in El Dorado and Atlapa.
The dragon is considered to be a very auspicious sign, symbolizing power, strength and good luck.
Chinese first arrived to Panama in 1854, packed onto the Sea Witch clipper from Canton to work on the construction of the Panama Railroad. The Sea Witch had a black dragon as its figurehead and was the first vessel to sail from New York to San Francisco around Cape Horn in less than 100 days.
Today, the Chinese population numbers approximately 300,000, or 5 percent of the population, according to the Chinese Panamanian Culture Center.
