Happy Chinese New Year
Gong Xi Fa Ca! That’s the traditional Chinese New Year
greeting that means “wishing you prosperity” in Mandarin. The first day of the
Chinese New Year – which begins at midnight on January 23, 2012 – is the most
important of Chinese holidays, celebrated by over 1.3 billion people in China
and by millions of ethnic Chinese around the world. It’s a celebration that
lasts for 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival. Each year is
associated with one of twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. For 2012, it’s the
Year of the Dragon.
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, in other
words, a combination of solar and lunar calendars. It has a long history
spanning several Chinese dynastic rules from as far back as the Shang Dynasty
around fourteenth century B.C. There are several different symbolic cycles
within the calendar, used in Chinese astrology, that make it an intricate and
complex measure of time.
A month in the Chinese calendar spans a single
lunar cycle. The first day of the month begins during the new moon, when no
sunlight falls on the lunar hemisphere that faces the Earth. A lunar cycle, on
average, lasts 29.5 days, so a lunar month can last 29 or 30 days. Usually,
there are 12 lunar months in a Chinese calendar year. In order to catch up with
the solar calendar, which averages 365.25 days in a year, an extra month is
added to the Chinese calendar every two or three years. As a result, Chinese
New Year falls on different dates each year (in the Gregorian calendar) between
January 21 and February 21.
Each year of the Chinese lunar calendar is represented by
one of twelve animal symbols of the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit,
Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. For 2012, it’s the
dragon’s turn. According to Chinese astrology, people born on the year of the
dragon are said to be strong, self-assured, eccentric, intellectual, and
passionate, among other things.
The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. A symbol of
good fortune and sign of intense power, the Oriental Dragon is regarded as a
divine beast - the reverse of the malicious monster that Westerners felt
necessary to find and slay. In Eastern philosophy, the Dragon is said to be a
deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. Therefore, those people
born in Dragon years are to be honored and respected.
THE WATER DRAGON 1952 AND 2012
This year is the water Dragon. Water has a calming effect on the
Dragon's fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its
enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better
equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand
the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Dragons.
Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other
people. However, their actions can go wrong if they do not research or if they
do not finish one project before starting another.
Happy Chinese new Year to you . May this year bring you happiness and good health.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Ray
I am a wood Dragon. What effect does have on me?? I love reading on this. I did one as well.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Ray