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Canthan New Year 2012

The Year of the Dragon is upon us—it's time for the annual Canthan New Year Festival! Help honor the Celestial Dragon, a mythical reptile that will descend from the sky to bestow good luck upon the populace for all of 2012—but only if the traditional New Year's feast meets the tiny dragon's high standards!

The 2012 Canthan New Year Festival begins at noon Pacific (-8 GMT) on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 and will end at noon Pacific (-8 GMT) on Monday, February 6th, 2012. On Sunday, February 5th, the Celestial Dragon will appear in Shing Jea Monastery every three hours to sample Canthan cuisine. The Dragon's feast culminates in dancing, fireworks, a shower of gifts, and special prizes for festival-goers—but only if the Dragon is satisfied with the offerings! Ensure the Dragon's blessing of good fortune by helping prepare dishes for the feast.

In addition to the great feast, you can explore the Shing Jea Boardwalk, embark on a variety of festival-themed quests, and visit the wandering Fortune Teller for a glimpse of your destiny. Enjoy a good game of chance? Try your luck and test your skill in the Rollerbeetle Races! Those who are feeling slightly more combative can visit the Dragon Arena all weekend long for some all-out dodgeball action. Canthans living abroad won't be left out: Lion's Arch and Kamadan will also host smaller celebrations, complete with traditional New Year's decorations.

Mark your calendars and help the Celestial Dragon ring in the new year, Canthan-style!

Festival Events

A grand feast, fireworks, dancing, fortunes, and high-stakes rollerbeetle racing—all this and more await you during the Canthan New Year Festival. Here's what you can expect:

Satisfying the Celestial Dragon is a tall order, especially since every festival has a few unexpected problems for enterprising young adventurers to solve.

Want a preview of the coming year? The fortune teller can peer into your future and provide you with a very real, and legally binding, fortune. For good or ill, your destiny will follow you out into the world beyond Shing Jea.

Play games on the Shing Jea Boardwalk to earn tickets and boost your luck—or play to lose, and work your way down a different life track.

For you racing fans, make your way to the Rollerbeetle Racing Arena, where you'll be outfitted with your very own rollerbeetle racer, complete with its own set of racing skills.

Head over to the Dragon Arena for a brawling good time.

The Celestial Feast lets you participate in heated cooking competitions, where you'll help Canthan chefs prepare special dishes in honor of the Celestial Dragon. Each properly prepared meal earns a reward from the Dragon, but it's bad luck to annoy the beast!

Festival Rewards

Here are some of the special items you might come across during the Canthan New Year Festival:

	Sugary Blue Drink It's sweet and oh-so-handy when you need a quick boost of speed.
	Champagne Popper A brief-but-spectacular treat for the eyes and ears. They're a blast!
	Bottle Rocket Set off a single-shot firework high overhead—please aim away from faces and moa birds.
	Sparkler Light this up to create a cloud of sparks over your head—stand clear of flammable objects.
	Red Bean Cake These sweet treats put some pep in your step.
	Bottle of Rice Wine The traditional festival beverage. Don't drink and quest!
	Red Gift Bag It's festive, it's red, and you'll never know what's in it until you open it.
	Lunar Fortune Find out for sure how good or bad your luck will be in the coming year.
	Lunar Token Collect these tokens throughout the festival and trade them in for prizes.

Special Rewards

In addition to the items mentioned above, lucky players may find one of the rare Celestial Dragon miniatures hidden inside a Lunar Fortune! Carry the divine beast's luck with you throughout the year!

If that's not enough to entice you, don't forget that if the Celestial Dragon fully enjoys its meal, all those attending the feast receive two exciting treats: the explosively entertaining Crate of Fireworks, and a special mystery reward! We'd like to summon a description of this gift for you—but then it wouldn't be a mystery, would it?