Journal
Monday,Dec 29 2008, 01:34:29 AMNew Years~ Chinese New Year, Astrology & Calenda..
New Years
When : January 1st
New Year's Eve is when all the fun and festivities are. We see out the old year and ring in the new. While it is often thought of as a time to drink and be merry, many people take it as an opportunity to eat and be merry. Drinking is not as much a part of the event as it was decades ago, if only because of tougher drunk driving laws.
New Years' Day on the other hand, is a time to relax and enjoy the start of a bright and promising new year....a new beginning. It is a time to be with family. After all, you haven't seen your mother in law since last year.
So, enjoy everything about New Year's....it only comes once a year.
To many Americans, the ball dropping at Times Square in New York City signals the start of the new year in this country. The ball was first dropped in 1908.
New Years Trivia:Did you know that a raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
Did you make a New Year's resolution? Millions of people do. It's easy to make resolutions, and often much harder to accomplish them.
As you get well into January, those unaccomplished New Year's resolutions hang over your head. Lucky for you, there is a Ditch Your New Year's Resolutions Day
http://www.holidayinsights.com/
Annies Home Page
http://www.annieshomepage.com/newyears.html
Father Times.Net
Traditions From All Over The World
http://www.fathertimes.net/traditions.htm
Recipes: http://www.fathertimes.net/recipes.htm
http://www.fathertimes.net/favorites.htm
Chinese New Year
When: Chinese Year 4707 January 26, 2009.
It's the year of the Ox, a Yin (negative) year. The date of Chinese New Years changes every year. It is a 15 day celebration, beginning on the first day of the new moon, and ends on the full moon. The celebration on the15th day is called the Lantern Festival.
Chinese culture is amongst the oldest in the world. While the rest of the world is in the early years of but the third millennium, Chinese culture is in their fifth millennium.
In Chinese astrology, every year is represented by an animal. The cycle is twelve years, with a different animal each year. This is the year of the "Rat". According to Chinese astrology, it is a "Yang" or positive year. Every person is born under one of these animals that also dictates your personality and character. To find out more about your sign, see Chinese Astrology.
Chinese New years or Spring Festival, is the biggest holiday in chinese culture. It is celebrated with festivities, fireworks, brightly colored lights, special meals with family and gift giving. Like Christmas in the western world, most chinese travel home to be with family for the new year celebration.
Other Asian New Years:
Cambodian New Years, celebrated on April 13-15
Laos New Years, celebrated on April 13-16
Thailand News Years, celebrated on April 13-15
Vietnamese New Years, it's called "Tet" and is celebrated on the same days as Chinese New Years
Chinese Astrology and Calendar
Chinese Astrology is an art form developed and refined thousands of years ago. The signs and their relationship to time define a person's behavior, surroundings and fortunes.
Here are the Chinese Zodiac Characters and the year they represent:
| Character: | Yin-Yang | Years: |
| Tiger | Yang | 1926,1938,1950,1962,1974,1986,1998,2010,2022 |
| Rabbit | Yin | 1927,1939,1951,1963,1975,1987,1999,2011,2023 |
| Dragon | Yang | 1928,1940,1952,1964,1976,1988,2000,2012,2024 |
| Snake | Yin | 1929,1941,1953,1965,1977,1989,2001,2013,2025 |
| Horse | Yang | 1930,1942,1954,1966,1978,1990,2002,2014,2026 |
| Sheep | Yin | 1931,1943,1955,1967,1979,1991,2003,2015,2027 |
| Monkey | Yang | 1932,1944,1956,1968,1980,1992,2004,2016,2028 |
| Rooster | Yin | 1933,1945,1957,1969,1981,1993,2005,2017,2029 |
| Dog | Yang | 1934,1946,1958,1970,1982,1994,2006,2018,2030 |
| Pig | Yin | 1935,1947,1959,1971,1983,1995,2007,2019,2031 |
| Rat | Yang | 1936,1948,1960,1972,1984,1996,2008,2020,2032 |
| Ox | Yin | 1937,1949,1961,1973,1985,1997,2009,2021,2033 |
Did you know? Be careful in determining your Chinese birth year. Because the Chinese year does not start on January 1, people born in January or early February must check to see when the Chinese New Years falls i their birth year to determine their birth sign. Most people are not aware of this and most likely have determined the wrong Chinese birth year and sign for themselves.
The Chinese calendar is different from the Gregorian(or western) calendar which begins each year on January 1st and ends on December 31st. The Chinese calendar based upon the (lunar)cycles of the moon and as a result, starts on a different date each year, between January 21st and February 19th. The lunar calendar repeats over twelve years.
Each of the twelve years on the lunar calendar is designated with an animal. In good astrological fashion, the animal representing the year you were born defines much about your personality and characteristics. This Chinese Zodiac, like it's Western counterpart comprising the science of astrology(zodiac signs) and horoscopes, it even goes so far as to tell you best relate with or who you should marry.
The twelve animals and the year they represent(moving forward) are:
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2008 Rat
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2009 Ox
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2010 Tiger
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2011 Rabbit
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2012 Dragon
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2013 Snake
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2014 Horse
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2015 Goat
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2016 Monkey
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2017 Rooster
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2018 Dog
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2019 Pig
Fortune Cookie
Check Out to see what your Fortune Cookie Says...
