Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Celebrates
Year of the Rat with Festive Lunar New Year Display
Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens invites guests to celebrate the Year of the Rat with a captivating Lunar New Year display open through mid-March. Designed to bring prosperity and luck to all who visit, the gardens lead visitors into a world of legend, myth and culture. Complete with silk-lantern chandeliers, firecrackers and a gilded representation of the first animal in the Chinese Zodiac, the Rat, this display is comprised of more than 32,000 flowers.
The result of collaborative efforts between designer Ed Libby, Bellagio’s horticulture team and Feng Shui Master George Yau, the intricate creation is layered with meaningful features honoring The Year of the Rat. Each Lunar New Year, the team collaborates to create a serene environment guided by the ancient practice of Feng Shui – the art of using surroundings to attract harmony, balance and positive life energy. Represented throughout the display, the theme “Free Flowing Fortune” is signified by the blending of elements from Asian culture and Western ideology.
WEST BED
The Year of the Rat takes center stage in the West Bed, starting with a series of rats that are hard at work bringing New Year’s riches to the centerpiece of the bed. The Rat is the first of the zodiac, and according to one myth, the Jade Emperor said that the order of the zodiac would be decided by the order in which the animals arrived at his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride, and just as they arrived at the emperor’s gates, the clever Rat jumped down and landed ahead of the Ox, becoming the first of the zodiac animals. In Chinese culture, rats are a sign of intelligence, wealth and vitality. Two golden money trees stand on either side of the staircase while chrysanthemum and peony adornments surround the West Bed. Legend has it that the money tree can bring wealth and fortune to the people and is a symbol of affluence, nobility and prosperity.
EAST BED
The cherry blossom signifies feminine beauty and love, creating a focal point in the East Bed. As guests enter the Conservatory, they pass under a series of golden cherry blossom arches representing their journey to a place of beauty and love. Additionally, lanterns and coin chandeliers represent a passage into a year of prosperity and good fortune.
NORTH BED
In Asian culture, Jade is a precious stone with six virtues: benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, bravery, honesty and cleanliness. The Bellagio horticulture team created a grand pavilion composed of two giant jade-like adorned archways with gilded accents. Five majestic pendants crown the top of the arches, each decorated with a gilded dragon watching over guests on their journey. Two majestic bronze Ding Vessels, symbols of status and power, anchor the east and west sides of the North Bed, while a Koi fish fountain delivers free-flowing fortune.
SOUTH BED
The temple of the Six Banyan Trees can be found in the South Bed, which features an ornate pagoda guarded by two animatronic “lion” dancers. Festive red lanterns hung over the bed and strung with firecrackers, ward away evil spirits. Children dance about, holding lanterns and firecrackers in celebration of their blessings and the coming year. Large peony floral sculptures adorn the Conservatory as a representation of wealth, power and class. A symbol of good luck, citrus trees surround the temple, engaging yet another of the five senses with its wonderful aroma.
The Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is complimentary to the public.
Lunar New Year Display By the Numbers
- 32,000: Flowers on display throughout the exhibit
- 115: Team members involved in the display’s assembly
- 1,700: Number of flowers used to create the children
- 20 feet: Height of jade medallions
- 14 feet: Height of the West Bed’s largest rat
- 6: Number of hanging Chinese lanterns
- 6: Number of cherry blossom trees
- 5: Number of rats in the display