More here on the Pig
Bad luck Sada. However, I rather like the idea that I am a Dragon, even if it also means I shall probably not have all that much luck with my money this year. Surprise, surprise.
The Chinese Calendar is a bit of a puzzle to me though.
I was just looking up Wikipedia to understand how it works...
Hmm, all the ladies but no real love for me in the year of the ox. And I should replace my avatar with a chicken, too.
gnartyuh, the photo makes me hungry.
There are a few celebrations. For example I've stumbled upon the Casino Bern website, where the Olympian Donghua Li will celebrate with a dragon show.
Hmm here's me thinking I was a pig but I'm a dog!
Thanks Argus
Oh, ya, a few Chinese New Year practices/superstitions:
On the first day of the lunar new year, do not sweep the floor of your house (signifies money being swept out and away!). Since I seldom sweep or vaccuum the floor, does this mean I'll get pretty rich?
Do not wear all black or all white (colours of funeral wear). If you must wear a little black dress, wear a red brooch or gems or gold jewellery.
Have a second helping of rice (so you'll have enough to eat for the rest of the year).
Do not quarrel with anyone on the first day, or you'll be having a bad relationship with that person for the rest of the year.
Can anyone else remember other superstitions/practices/taboos?
Pantang - can't hang your clothes under open air during the 1st day of CNY.
Hey! Haven't heard of that taboo.
I suppose hanging out your washed but frayed underwear in the front lawn isn't really welcoming for the guests arriving at your 'open house', eh?
Oh, yes, that reminds me. Wear everything new on the first day -- from top to toe, including underwear.
1st day - can't wash hair
4th day, MUST sweep floors because the Bad Luck God is coming ( Soi San ) - also cannot go visiting on this day
No profanity allowed
No dead clocks allowed or anything faulty ie all must be NEW and working order
If having pets, do not call out or shout for them as it is not good to call for something alive that might not respond to you in the morning
I would be grateful if someone could point me towards a reliable and authoritative site on Chinese zodiac sign compatibility. It will be useful (hopefully) as scientific basis to justify my avoiding certain people without hurting any feelings.
Looks like I need to be careful of the company I keep...
"Love: There is a Love Star coming in 2009. However, this Love Star is not a Marriage Star. That means you have a chance to meet someone you like. Both of you will produce the passion in love. But this relationship won't last too long. If you are married or already in love, then it's possible that a third party will involve your love relationship. Remember that your money luck is poor. If you cannot to handle the temptation, you might have to spend some money to end this short term relationship in the end. "
Hi Rustygraben
Am not sure if this site is what you seek. Apart from Horoscope ( which lists compatibility among other things ), it has a lot of information on Chinese Culture as well.
Kung Hei Fat Choi! Since coming back to Switzerland I don't do anything anymore but I do get nostalgic for Hong Kong. Chinese New Year was never a holiday for me because I offered to work so my Chinese colleagues could get time off with their families. But I enjoyed the fireworks and lion dances.
This is my first Chinese New Year (CNY) here in Switzerland and since it's just me & hubby - I don't have any Chinese/Viet/Thai friends here in Neuchatel - we're doing it on a small scale in terms of food and decorative items.
I have a lot of memories from home and thank goodness, hubby is very supportive and understanding of celebrating it with me even though he's French.
I'll be making pineapple tarts and chocolate-chip almond cookies - sweets are important during CNY because it means that one will have a sweet year ahead. Pineapples are used because its shape and word means the coming of gold in Cantonese (wong lai).
For the reunion dinner, I'll be making noodles (symbolize longevity) with prawns (symbolize happiness), a soup and a sweet dessert. Even though we aren't eating rice, I'll be cooking some rice because for my family, we believe that the rice cooker represents the family's ricebowl. To leave it empty is to mean that you'll have problems with your income throughout the year. For some, the container they use to store rice must not be empty.
We'll be staying up until midnight because a vigil is said to give long life to parents. The lights in the apartment will be left on to chase away bad luck and once midnight arrives, we'll open all windows and doors for a minute or two to allow the old year to leave and the new year (plus new luck) to come in.
Other usual rules include throwing out the garbage and finishing up the cleaning & laundry plus washing hair (for me), and shaving & washing hair (for hubby).
For the 1st day, I'm not planning to cook because it's taboo so the dishes for the reunion dinner must be made in abundance so that we can eat it on the first day. I suggested that hubby wear red to his office because wearing bright colours and looking your best on the first day is a reflection of how things will be in the months to come. No crying, fighting, swearing or foul language is allowed.
And lastly, there is the phone call back home - am planning this for either the reunion dinner on Sunday or on Monday!
I wrote more about the dos & don'ts plus other background info on CNY for those who are interested here .
In the meantime, Gong Xi Fa Cai (Congratulations and be prosperous!) and Nin Nin You Yu (Wishing you surpluses and bountiful harvests every year!)!!!!!!!
Oh no! I've just found out me and hubby aren't compatible ain't no way I should be with an Ox.
If you meant love relationships (to the extent of what it means to you, it also applies to other relationships),
you might like to try this:
http://fortuneangel.com/Match1.htm
My other half and I only got a '1' -- but it's not too bad as a 'score' of 1 to 4 means 'happy partnership'. A '10' means Romeo & Juliet, but look what happened to them.
In general, someone of the sign opposite yours (six years of age difference) is not very compatible. It's true for me and my other half -- lots of friction and not seeing eye to eye. But there are of course exceptions when it comes down to the minute details plus upbringing/childhood. OldHand and her beloved prove to be the exception. Thank the cosmos!
mmmh, sounds a bit like Mr Playboy's life, only for him, it seems to be a lifetime thing
China may be the largest country of Asia, so their culture and food are well known to the world. It is why, of course, most people in western world know it as 'Chinese new year', but this is actually " Lunar New Year" according to the Lunar calendar, which is celebrated in many Asian countries.
Picture below : (scrap from an internet news) Going to home town for Lunar New Year's day.
Yes and no. Malays and Indians don't celebrate Chinese or Lunar New Year (to them, their lunar new year occurs at a different time of the year). In Malaysia and Singapore, at least, we're not familiar with the Lunar New Year - from my understanding, that term is more commonly used in Mainland China and Taiwan.
A more common term would be the Spring Festival.
You’re right. CNY is only used in China, Taiwan, of course. In Vietnam, we call it “Tết” – the name for Lunar New Year (not Chinese new year or spring festival...)
Although our Tet was adapted from China, there’re some differences. We don’t have Ox or Rabbit, instead we have Buffalo and Cat. I guess because it’s more common to our culture.
Normally, our Tet is at the same time with CNY, but in some years, it may be one day sooner or later.
Our new year eve dinner this year. Quite traditional with sticky rice cake – Bánh chưng (Cake but salty and it’s a dish with sticky rice, green beans, pork. It’s green because it was covered with banana leaf and cooked 6 hours), spring rolls – Nem (spring roll is Chinese name, but it’s totally different with Chinese spring rolls), boiled chicken, bamboo shoots soup (bamboo shoots cooked with pig trotters), beef fried with vegetables, kohlrabi and carrot salad and onion. For fruits, it can’t be without pomelo. Enjoy
Happy new year to everybody – Chúc mừng năm mới tất cả mọi người !!!!
Sorry the pix is quite big