kung hey fat choy!!!

Happy -chinnese- new year!!!
Feliz año nuevo!!!!

This february 1st we celebrate the new lunar year due the chinnese astrology: the year of the goat. I hope it brings you harmony, serenity, dreams and endurance.

Im very happy because this is my animal sign, so this is going to be a special year for me. In fact, Im already much better than last year, from the inside.

Kung Hey Fat Choy!!

That's right -

For those of you who are also reading the Aquarius thread the Chinese New Year begins on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice.

In terms of Western Astrology that means that the Aquarius New Moon always marks the start of the Chinese New Year.

happy new year and have a question

Hi all,

Happy new year to all....

We usually celebrate with a chinese brunch called Dim Sum and the exchange of small red envelopes with candy (for the kids at school) or money (usually a dollar) in them. I know others have Mooncakes (there a kinda cookie).

There is a story that goes to the 12 chinese zodiac signs explaining why they are in the order they are in. Does anyone know it. My girls and 1/2 chinese and I would love to be able to share the story with them.

Blessings

Cj

cjtarot> your relatives are holding out on you!! In Toronto it's gotta be $20 or else you're a cheapskate BTW, moon cakes (yuut beng) are supposed to be eaten during the autumn new moon festival which falls in sept/oct.

As for the story.... hm... it's been awhile since I was told it. All I remember is that there was some kind of challenge b/w Ox and Rat and Rat being the sneaky sign that it is, managed to trick Ox and so Ox is now 2nd in line. Basically, Ox was blinded by pride or something like that. I think cat showed up too, but was late.

"Congratulations" on the new year are also offered when visiting. Chinese BRUNCH is NOT called dim sum! That refers to the stuffed DUMPLINGS you are eating. The red packets, also given out at weddings, are called "Ang Pau" or "Hong Bao", which married people are supposed to give out to the unmarried (although when the unmarried are over a certain age they usually don't get them either) - and if you give candy the Chinese would probably think you were a cheapskate "Yuut peng" is Cantonese, literally, for "Moon Cake" or "Moon Biscuit".The Lantern Festival celebrates the Moon Goddess Chang'er.


Please note that even if it is your sign's "year' is is not necessarily a good one for you. Yes, there's a story behind the zodiac.

Here. in Santiago de Chile, Im going to a lyon dance, it sililar to dragon dance, but performed by kung fu martial artists. This way we celebrate the incoming year.
Ive heard that the story of the 12 sacred animals have an emperor in between, who needed something and started to gather around him the animals.
Also, this year ends a trilogy started 2001, a fire cicle.

Lion dances are common. They are not kungfu martial artists in general, but trained lion dancers. I don't think any emperor is involved; perhaps that is another story. I have not heard of any fire circle but will look it up.

Another common phrase used is "sun neen fie lock" which literally means happy new year. Oh, also, this is all in Cantonese - Mandarin's the official Chinese language but most ppl immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong (b/c of the British leaving in '97) where Cantonese dominates.
Around here in Toronto, tons of ppl (including Chinese) refer to lunch as dim sum in an anglocized accent. It's a Chinese word that's been adopted into the English language and thus its original meaning has changed somewhat.

p.s. Woah, didn't mean to imply you're a cheapskate cjtarot!! I was just kidding around - it's not like there's a written rule about how much to give. When I was in primary school, the teacher would give the class red envelopes with chocolate wrapped in foil to look like coins ^_^

hehe..I have a lot to learn

isthmus nekoi,

HEHE...I'm italian..how am I supposed to know how much to give...but on the other hand let my inlaws hand out $20's..I'll stick to sending loli's into school..

Demonesse,

I was told Dim Sum..meant something to do with .. having tea???? How do you say "to have tea" in your language.

Cj

well, in mandarin, having tea should be "he cha" - ºÈ²è.
"kung hey fat choy" in mandarin should be "kong xi fa cai" - ¹§Ï²·¢²Æ, it means to wish you to be rich or earn more money, not really happy new year lol*