Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar year. On February 7, 2008, we celebrate the start of the 4706th Chinese Year, which will be the Year of Rat.
The Chinese Year follows the lunar calendar with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the first month of each Chinese Year and continue until the fifteenth day when the moon is brightest. It is a time of reunion when family members gather at each other's houses to visit and share meals. The most significant feast occurs on New Year's Eve.
Each Chinese Year is represented by one of twelve animals. This ancient tradition came about many years ago when Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Only twelve came, so Buddha named a year after each one. He also announced that the people who were born in that year would share the animal's personality and traits.
Because the New Year is such a momentous occasion in China, people may take weeks of holidays from work in preparation for and in celebration of it. On New Year’s Day, people wear red, decorate their houses with poems written on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire which, according to legend, drives away bad luck.
Chinese New Year ends with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the month. On this day, glowing lanterns are hung inside homes and temples. These lanterns are works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. When darkness sets in, people carry their lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon. In many areas, the highlight of the lantern festival is the Dragon Dance. The dragon is typically made from silk, paper, and bamboo, and may stretch to one hundred feet in length. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets.
Many people believe that what happens on the first day of the New Year reflects the year to come, so many customs are followed to ensure that fortune falls their way. To fend off ghosts and spirits of misfortune, lights are kept on all night from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day. Sweets are eaten to ensure a "sweet" year and many also bathe themselves in pomelo leaves on New Year's Eve for health in the coming year. It is also important to clean the house thoroughly and completely before New Year's Day.
At the dinner table is where many more customs are carried out for luck. Fish is a staple for the New Year’s Eve Dinner; it signifies added income in the New Year because, in Chinese, the words "fish" and "extra" are homophones. At the end of dinner, food is always left on the table to ensure sufficient and even additional income. If a parent or grandparent has passed away, an extra bowl and pair of chopsticks are left on the dinner table as an invitation for them to share the food with the rest of the family.
Just as there are customs to bring luck, the Chinese also have traditions intended to fend off misfortune for the coming year. Death, for example, is never mentioned and vulgar words are avoided. Sweeping the floor on the first day of the New Year is forbidden because it sweeps away luck and good fortune. The Chinese also avoid buying clothes in black and white because black represents bad luck and white is the traditional color worn at funerals.
Many traditions to ward off misfortune are based upon homophones and homonyms in Cantonese and Mandarin. For example, buying a pair of shoes is sometimes considered bad luck because the word "shoes" is a homophone for"rough" and for "evil" in Cantonese and Mandarin, respectively. The word "pants" is a homophone for the word for "bitter" in Cantonese, so the Chinese do not buy pants in the days leading up to and immediately following New Year’s Day. Even buying books is considered bad luck because "book" is a homonym for the word "lose." Finally, the Chinese avoid cutting or washing their hair because "hair" is a homophone for "prosperity" in Cantonese, thus cutting or washing one’s hair is perceived as "cutting away" or "washing away" prosperity.
In China, it is an honor to be born in the Year of the Rat and a privilege to be associated with a Rat. Rats know exactly where to find solutions and have no trouble taking care of themselves and others. They use their instinctive sense of observation to help others in times of need and are among the fittest of the twelve animal signs. They can survive in almost any situation, using their ability to adapt and react quickly to change.
People born in the Year of Rat are clever, bright, sociable, easy-going and family oriented. They have broad interests and are gifted in many ways. They are active and pleasant, tactful, and able to grasp opportunities as they come. They are active participants with interests in all areas, usually performing their tasks extremely well.
Those born in the Years of the Rat tend to be leaders, pioneers, and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, William Shakespeare, and Mozart were just some examples of the people who were born in the year of the rat.
The Year of the Rat is a time of hard work, activity, and renewal. This is a good year to begin a new job, get married, launch a product, or make a fresh start. Ventures begun now may not yield quick returns, but opportunities will come for those who are well prepared and resourceful. The pathway to success requires patience, letting things develop gradually, and making the most of every opportunity that arises. Changes are expected this year, which may cause tension and stress. Anxiety, stomach acid reflex, insomnia, nervousness and heart problems are expected to be common health issues. It is important, therefore, to stay calm and allot time for exercise and mediation on a regular basis, and to treat any sicknesses in its early stages.
The doctors and staff at the Art of Wellness wish you wellness and success in the coming year.
Year of the Rat: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996
Year of the Ox: 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997
Year of the Tiger: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998
Year of the Rabbit: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999
Year of the Dragon: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000
Year of the Snake: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001
Year of the Horse: 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
Year of the Sheep: 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
Year of the Monkey: 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
Year of the Rooster: 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
Year of the Dog: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
Year of the Pig: 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007