Happy New Year!

For those of you who celebrate it, Happy Chinese New Year! Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Dr. Leo here. I know it actually started yesterday, but I was too busy to get to the computer yesterday, and since it goes on for 15 days, I hope our Chinese friends won’t mind if I am a day late! The Chinese New Year is the most significant holiday/celebration of the Chinese culture. The actual Chinese year is 4705. The Chinese months are calculated by the lunar calendar. 2007 is the Year of the Pig. Here is some info I found on Chinapage.com (and other sources as noted):

The twelve years are named after 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Those animals are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

 

“Those born in pig years tend to have excellent manners, make and keep friends, work very hard, and appreciate luxury. They are very loving and make loyal partners. Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, Mahalia Jackson, David Letterman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger were all born in the year of the pig.” (Source: Holly Hartman, infoplease.com)

 

There are lots of festivities involved in the Chinese New Year celebration. People take time off from work (usually a week) to prepare clothes, food, and fireworks for this important time of the year. A gift of “laisee” packets are given (red envelopes that hold gifts of money). The celebration ends with the Feast of the Lantern.

 

It is worth mentioning that some other Eastern countries also have ties with this ancient Chinese celebration. The Vietnamese also celebrate their New Year, or Tết, on the same day as the Chinese calendar, with a 4-day public holiday. However, because of the time difference between Hanoi and Beijing (China), Tết may differ from the Chinese calendar by a day every 22nd or 23rd year.

Koreans now follow the Gregorian calendar for business and academic purposes, but the lunar new year is still marked with a three-day holiday for the Lunar New Year, or Seollal. The Japanese now celebrate their New Year (shōgatsu) on January 1, with the first three days being holidays.  (Source: Wikipedia.com)

 

The traditional Chinese greeting is “ Gung Hay Fat Choy!’ (loosely translated means “Luck and Prosperity.”)So, my wife Julie and our partners, Bob & Terresa and I, wish you and your families, Gung Hay Fat Choy!