The New Year is here! Celebrations have been had, and resolutions made, broken and postponed to 2018. Time to get back to business as usual…but not so fast; the clock is yet to strike 12 on the Chinese New Year. That’s right! More time for food, family and festivities. On January 28, let the 2017 Year of the Rooster begin!
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is to China what Christmas is to the Caribbean. But is Christmas by any other name still as sweet? Yes it is, especially when it’s a 15 day celebration. One can expect auspicious family dinners, being gifted ‘lucky money’ in red envelopes, firecrackers, dragon/lion dancing and other traditional performances. And though Chinese in the Caribbean celebrate a miniature version of the festival, the essence remains the same: a time for family, gift giving and, the all-important, food-fest.
Though the origin of the celebration is unclear, legend speaks of a mythical monster, Nian that ate people and livestock on New Year’s Eve until a wise old man figured out that it was scared of loud noises (firecrackers) and the color red. From then onwards, the anniversary of the date is recognised as the “passing of the Nian”, which also became synonymous with celebrating the New Year.
The New Year coincides with the lunar (moon orbiting the earth) rather than the Gregorian (earth orbiting the sun) calendar which explains why the holiday falls between January 21 and February 20. But why is 2017 the Year of the Rooster and what does it mean for you?
Chinese zodiacs are represented by different animals that rule over the personality and destiny of persons born under their respective year. Since there are 12 signs, everyone gets ‘their year’ every twelve rotations. The Rooster is the 10th animal in 12 zodiac signs, with its closest western zodiacs being Virgo (Sep 8 – Sep 22) and Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 7). The year of one’s birth sign is said to be their unluckiest year in the 12-year cycle; so if you were born 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, and 2005 unfortunately, that means you. On the bright side, you’ll feel more in control of your situation and better able to proceed with plans.
Be it January 1 or 28, ruled by the rooster or another zodiac, the Chinese New Year, like all others, represents a holiday rooted in tradition, family togetherness and the celebration of new beginnings.
Happy Chinese New Year!
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #10, 2017 Issue.
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The New Year is here! Celebrations have been had, and resolutions made, broken and postponed to 2018. Time to get back to business as usual…but not so fast; the clock is yet to strike 12 on the Chinese New Year. That’s right! More time for food, family and festivities. On January 28, let the 2017 Year of the Rooster begin!
Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is to China what Christmas is to the Caribbean. But is Christmas by any other name still as sweet? Yes it is, especially when it’s a 15 day celebration. One can expect auspicious family dinners, being gifted ‘lucky money’ in red envelopes, firecrackers, dragon/lion dancing and other traditional performances. And though Chinese in the Caribbean celebrate a miniature version of the festival, the essence remains the same: a time for family, gift giving and, the all-important, food-fest.
Though the origin of the celebration is unclear, legend speaks of a mythical monster, Nian that ate people and livestock on New Year’s Eve until a wise old man figured out that it was scared of loud noises (firecrackers) and the color red. From then onwards, the anniversary of the date is recognised as the “passing of the Nian”, which also became synonymous with celebrating the New Year.
The New Year coincides with the lunar (moon orbiting the earth) rather than the Gregorian (earth orbiting the sun) calendar which explains why the holiday falls between January 21 and February 20. But why is 2017 the Year of the Rooster and what does it mean for you?
Chinese zodiacs are represented by different animals that rule over the personality and destiny of persons born under their respective year. Since there are 12 signs, everyone gets ‘their year’ every twelve rotations. The Rooster is the 10th animal in 12 zodiac signs, with its closest western zodiacs being Virgo (Sep 8 – Sep 22) and Libra (Sep 23 – Oct 7). The year of one’s birth sign is said to be their unluckiest year in the 12-year cycle; so if you were born 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, and 2005 unfortunately, that means you. On the bright side, you’ll feel more in control of your situation and better able to proceed with plans.
Be it January 1 or 28, ruled by the rooster or another zodiac, the Chinese New Year, like all others, represents a holiday rooted in tradition, family togetherness and the celebration of new beginnings.
Happy Chinese New Year!
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #10, 2017 Issue.
Share this post: