until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year .
A Dog New Year
The Dog is the eleventh animal among the twelve zodiac animals in the Chinese horoscope. The rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog , and boar rotate annually.
In ancient China, it was believed that people would have the characteristics of the element and the animal that ruled the year of their birth just as modern astrologists believe that people born under a certain sign of the zodiac will have common characteristics. The dog is associated with benevolence and good fortune. There is a Chinese proverb that says if a strange dog follows you home, your house will be blessed with prosperity.
According to legends in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year . Twelve animals came, and Buddha named a year after each one of them. He told that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality.
People born in the Chinese New Year of the Dog (1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006) possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog people are also somewhat selfish, stubborn and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. Dog s are compatible with those born in the Year of the Horse, Tiger and Rabbit.
Chinese New Year Dates
2005 |
Feb. 9 |
2006 |
Jan. 29 |
2008 |
Feb. 18 |
2008 |
Feb. 7 |
2009 |
Jan. 26 |
2010 |
Feb. 14 |
Fireworks and Family Feasts
The Chinese New Year celebrations mark the splendid display of red color. People wear red clothes; decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.
Chinese New Year is a time of family reunion and togetherness. Family members meet up at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on Chinese New Year 's Eve.
The Lantern Festival
The Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the full moon.
In many places the lantern festival is highlighted by the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is classically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally, young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets hold aloft the dragon.
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