Happy Chinese New Year's Eve !!!!!

Thursday, February 7, is Chinese New Year! Most of China will be on
holiday starting on the 6th (New Year's Eve) and continuing through
the following week. For China, this is the biggest holiday;
comparable to Christmas in the US. The Chinese New Year is based
upon the lunar calendar, starting with the new moon on the 7th and
ending with the full moon 15 days later.

This year will be the Year of the Rat. The Rat is the beginning of
the 12 year zodiac cycle. People born under the sign of the Rat are
considered honest, generous, imaginative and charming.

Traditionally the people of China will travel back home to be with
their families during the New Year. Red couplets (red scrolls with
good wishes written on them) are put up around doorways. Other
preparations include cleaning the house before the New Year begins.
No sweeping is done on New Year's Day for fear of sweeping away good
fortune. No sharp instruments or scissors should be used because it
might cut or divide your good luck.

Legend has it that an evil monster named "Nian" comes out to eat
people on New Year's Eve. The only way to scare him away is with
loud noises and the color red. This is why you will see people in
China wearing a lot of red during this time. New Year's Eve parades
feature firecrackers and drums to also scare away Nian.

On New Year's Eve all the members of the family will gather for a
meal. If a family member cannot be present, they will leave an empty
seat to symbolize that person's presence. At midnight after dinner,
the younger members of the family are expected to bow and pay their
respect to their elders. The children are given red envelopes called
Lai-See or Hong-Bao. The envelopes will have `lucky money' in them
to symbolize luck and wealth.

On New Year's Day, people will visit friends bringing oranges as
gifts to symbolize wealth. No meat is eaten that day to ensure long
and happy lives. In more ancient times, the people of China did not
recognize individual birthdays, but instead considered the 7th day of
the New Year as everyone's birthday. Everyone was considered a year
older on that day. Long, uncut noodles were eaten that day to ensure
long life.

On the 15th day of the New Year, the celebration concludes with the
Lantern Festival. At night, people will carry lanterns out to the
street and watch a parade highlighted with a dragon dance and lion
dance. This last day sends a blessing of harmony, order and unity to
remain for the rest of the year.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! Happy New Year to you all!