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+--- Thread: It's New Year's Eve - Bringing in the Year of The Horse! (/showthread.php?tid=163530)
It's New Year's Eve - Bringing in the Year of The Horse! - SteveG - 01-30-2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/30/chinese-new-year-horse/5058035/ (one story)
(AP coverage) http://bigstory.ap.org/article/chinese-communities-prepare-lunar-new-year
Chinese communities around the world were gearing up for the holiday that begins at midnight. On self-governing Taiwan, revelers jammed into the capital Taipei's historic shopping district to load up on holiday snacks. Health authorities said that nearly 40 percent of the island's population can be expected to gain two kilograms (4.4 pounds) during the holiday.
Hong Kong officials expect nearly 8 million travelers to pass through its borders from January 29 to February 6, more than the local population of 7.1 million. Most of those travelers will be mainland Chinese, who have been flooding into the semiautonomous territory in increasing numbers in recent years thanks to rising incomes and a strengthening yuan.
This year marks the year of the horse according to Chinese astrology, generally considered an auspicious time, and business-savvy residents of the territory were hoping for vigorous growth. "For the Asian economies, especially Hong Kong and China, their luck will be the same ... it will be an economically active year," said Peter So, a master of feng shui, or Chinese geomancy.
Koreans and Vietnamese also celebrate the holiday, while festivities are held in cities from Paris to Phnom Penh, both as a celebration by their Chinese communities and to cater to the throngs of visitors arriving for sightseeing and shopping.
Las Vegas has long made a point of marking the occasion, and hotels, shops and casinos were festooned with New Year greetings and decorations in auspicious red and gold to appeal to big-spending Chinese visitors.
Mainland China will virtually shut down for the next seven days, and many residents of the polluted capital, Beijing, already have departed for holiday destinations. A continuing campaign against waste and corruption foreshadows more modest celebrations this year, while a crackdown on air pollution seems to be reining in the usual orgy of fireworks.
The holiday is generally a time for feasting and visiting friends and relatives, along with making visits to Buddhist and Taoist temples, many of which hold fairs and stage performances. Mainland Chinese have traditionally tuned into the annual New Year's Eve variety show, which state broadcaster CCTV is hoping to reinforce this year with a cast of bigger-wattage stars overseen by popular film director Feng Xiaogang.
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Gung Hay Fat Choy means "Best wishes and Congratulations. Have a prosperous and good year."
Chinese New Year marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is a time for family reunions, for honoring ancestors and for thanking the gods for their blessings.
Families make great preparations for this special celebration. Before the new year, families settle debts and buy new clothes. The house is cleaned and food is prepared. Homes are filled with flowers and fruit. Oranges, tangerines, and pomeloes are picked and displayed . The colors symbolize good luck and joy.
Blossoms symbolize longevity and courage. Some Chinese believe that if flowers blossom on New Yearâs Day good fortune will be theirs for the next year. Candy trays of candied melon, coconut, lotus seed and watermelon seed are offered. They signify growth, good health, abundance and togetherness.
Scrolls or couplets are hung on walls or doorways to carry messages of good health, luck, long life, prosperity, and happiness. A popular one reads ãMay everything be according to your wishes.ä
Children behave impeccably because they are warned that what happens the first day of the year may decide events for the coming year. Everyone takes care to say and do the right things and think good thoughts.
On the seventh day of the New Year everyone adds a year to their age no matter when they were born. In traditional China individual birthdays were not considered as important as this New Year's date.
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And now it's time for my annual office New Year's joke:
"Hey, what happened to you?"
"I don't know, I just wished Ying a Happy New Year. I said 'Gung Ho Fat Boy' and he slugged me."
(Always gets a laff.)
Re: It's New Year's Eve - Bringing in the Year of The Horse! - Filliam H. Muffman - 01-30-2014
>> ...a cast of bigger-wattage stars...
Haven't they heard that more efficient low-Watt LED stars are more popular these days? :jest:
Re: It's New Year's Eve - Bringing in the Year of The Horse! - NewtonMP2100 - 01-31-2014
I say NEIGH......???