[OT] Happy Lunar New Year

[Mark]

For the Chinese... The Year of the Goat (Ram, Sheep)

The Chinese Lunar New Year is one of the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Like the Western calendar, The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year being based on the cycles of the moon. Therefore, because of this cyclical dating, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each.

The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the twelve years after an animal. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only twelve came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart."

http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html
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For the Koreans... The Year of the Horse

Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year. This year it was on February 1st. On this very day the year of the Horse began. Seol is, along with " Chusok", one of the two most important holidays in Korea.

The New Year's greeting is "say hay boke-mahn he pah du say oh". Recently people have started to say "Make a lot of blessings this year". It is a more active saying, isn't it? I think that perhaps it's because of the hardships Korea is going through. If we observe the meaning of the greeting "say hay" means 'New Year', "boke" means 'blessings', "mahn he" means 'a lot' and "pah du say oh", 'please receive'. It literally means "Please receive many New year's blessings".

Many New Year's blessings to you!

http://www.clickasia.co.kr/about/h0101.htm
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For the Vietnamese... The Year of the Goat

For the majority of Vietnamese, Tet evokes a magic period of the year when everyone forgets his or her misfortune or misery during the previous year. It is the start of the new year in the lunar calendar. Rich or poor, young or old, everyone is going to celebrate it with solemnity and cheerfulness.

It is the moment to dream and to recover hope. It is also the period when peasants let their fields take a break while hoping to have better crops next year thanks to the renewal of nourishing nature.

http://www.limsi.fr/Recherche/CIG/etet1.htm
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Where ever you are, who ever you are, Happy Lunar New Year!

 

[Airwolf]

Thanks and Happy LNY to you too!

 

[Mindcrime]

For the Chinese it's Year of the Goat. Not much of a distinction, but that's how the word translates. Translating it as sheep, ram, noble mountain king, whatever, is the western way of saying "A goat?! Only hillbillies honor goats - buggrit! It's a sheep!!!!!!"



Chris

 

[jgbrowning]

hehe, well i know it. My wife's grandma (80 years old, chinese, doesn't speak much english) as been cooking all day!

Yum YUM YUMMMMMMM




joe b.

 

[Mindcrime]

You're lucky, getting to eat homecooked food. I was supposed to go south to visit my fiance's family and eat all kinds of seafood, but couldn't make it. So, I'm stuck in Taipei, which is now a ghost town (yay!) wondering if there is any money left in ATMs after everyone took it all out for red envelopes (not-so yay!)

xin nian kwai le! gong xi fa cai!

Gonna go eat goat-meat hot pot, me thinks.

Chris

 

[Alzrius]

The Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac.

I thought the longest chronological record in history was the Hebrew calendar, which dates back to about 3760 BC or so, when civilization began (or, if you're a Creationist, when God created the world ). While never a major caldendar, Jews the world over still use it when celebrating the new year (which for us comes around September).

 

[Kaiyosama]

goat = yumyum in my tumtum

happy new year(s)

 

[Mark]

Re: Re: [OT] Happy Lunar New Year

For the Chinese it's Year of the Goat. Not much of a distinction, but that's how the word translates. Translating it as sheep, ram, noble mountain king, whatever, is the western way of saying "A goat?!

Edited to reflect this new knowledge. Thanks.

I thought the longest chronological record in history was the Hebrew calendar, which dates back to about 3760 BC or so, when civilization began (or, if you're a Creationist, when God created the world ). While never a major caldendar, Jews the world over still use it when celebrating the new year (which for us comes around September).

Edited to be more inclusive and less difinitive. Thanks.

 

[ayrwind]

woot! happy lunar new year too all too, from here in Singapore! got loads of goodies to eat all round, from dried cured pork to mini spring rolls, to pineapple tarts and more more more! yummy!

 

[Mark]

What sort of festivities will be occuring at your various locations to mark the event?