Happy Chinese New Year – the year of the Dragon. I just want to start by saying. it is not fair!!! Westerners get only 1 day to celebrate the turn of the new year and the Chinese get 15! Yes, 15 days to have family gatherings, rituals and celebrations. It is so smart! Right in the middle of the long northern winter cold (usually in late January or February) the Chinese people get to party for 2 weeks. That is just sooooo smart!
If you are wondering the reason the Chinese new year does not start on the 1st of January (which is from the Roman calendar that Westerners use today) it is because the very smart Chinese, who were among some of the first people to do this stuff, 2,500 years ago, follow the lunar calendar (the Hebrew calendar is lunar too and both calendars actually have several similar elements, but that is for someone else to blog – this blog is about animals remember).
The Chinese have had thousands of years to figure out how to bring in the new year in style. Here is what you need to do if you want to participate in the Chinese New Year: You clean the house before the new year celebration: I mean really clean – every speck of dust in the house must be gone or it will bring bad luck (Boy, am I in trouble with all this dog and cat hair around here, good thing I am not Chinese). This is so you SWEEP away the bad stuff from the year before (can I vacuum, it is so much easier?). Then you open the windows and doors at midnight to let the old spirits leave (how cool is that?). Make sure to wear and decorate with RED, to frighten scary beasts away, and GOLD, for good fortune (Red is Lulu and my best color, Gold may look good on Sofie). And the one I like the best is….. you eat really LONG NOODLES, for a long life (YUMMY! I love noodles).
So, the dogs and I were trying to figure out how we were going to spend our 15 days of celebrating. I really like that the Chinese zodiac is made up of animals (mythical and real). So we researched that part for us:
I AM A ROOSTER – Rooster – 雞 / 鸡 (酉) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Acute, neat (not so much), meticulous (about some things), organized (yep), self-assured (yep), decisive (mostly), conservative (I do lean that way), critical (sad but true), perfectionist (not really), alert (coffee!), zealous (about the things I am passionate about), practical (I think so, but not sure V would say so), scientific (yep), responsible (very). Can be over zealous and critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, proud, opinionated, given to empty bravado (well that isn’t me at all, so maybe I really was born in a different year and my parents lied?). (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac )
Louise is an OX (The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. As one might guess, such people are dependable, calm and modest. Like his animal namesake, the Ox is unswervingly patient, tireless in his work, and capable of enduring any amount of hardship without complaint.) and Sofie is a Tiger (Tiger people are difficult to resist, for they are magnetic characters and their natural air of authority confers a certain prestige on them. They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding and soft in mysterious, unexpected places.). So, I guess it is obvious who really runs the zoo!
Just another DogDaz Chinese New Year at our house ❤
