CNY decorations appear in Senado Square

Workers  in Senado Square have been seen preparing Chinese New Year (CNY) festive decorations to mark next month’s entry into the Year of the Monkey.
A red and golden CNY stage was installed, featuring a red silhouette of a monkey and winding dragons, which are customarily present each year.
Nearby is a circular installation with large octagonal components also featuring monkey motifs. Some octagons present monkeys with a semi-
Western appearance, while others look definitively Chinese.
In the middle, atop a flower podium, sits the legendary “Monkey King” – instantly recognizable by his golden headband which, according to Chinese folklore, serves as punishment for when the Bodhisattva Guanyin deems the charming character to be misbehaving.
Numerous monkey lanterns are also featured alongside the larger installations. These may represent the monkeys that follow the Monkey King after he demonstrates his prowess and bravery in the early chapters of popular folk tale “Journey to the West”.
Behind the flower podium, and all along the road from Senado Square on the way to St. Dominic’s Church, hang innumerable red lanterns decorated with auspicious Chinese characters to ring in the new year. Staff reporter