Chuck Bao
1/24/2009, 07:10 PM
Feeling low? Feeling unloved? Feeling like the rats have already fled your sinking ship? Okay, maybe that is just me.
Never mind, the Year of the Rat is over today and tomorrow is the start of the Year of the Ox.
First of all
Happy New Year (English)
Gung Hei Fat Choi! (Cantonese)
Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Mandarin)
You can also call it the Year of the Bull or Year of the Cow, depending on how you relate to your beast of burden.
Regardless, the Year of the Ox is a plodding year with steady, slow, but more lasting gains than the previous year. Unfortunately, this is an earth year and the oxen, they, like the water. So, it will still be a tough, lean year. It is also more yin than yang, so the cow aspect of soft and nurturing is more dominant. That means that the guys need to shower more. Wait, no Im probably misreading this. It means that the guys need to get their dates/spouses to drink more and get along with their hard and fast yang. Girls just need to be mindful not to give the cow away too soon.
A child born this year will be pretty stubborn. I was born in the Year of the Ox and this is my fourth cycle, so I know all about it because Ive been plodding around for some time but with very little lasting gains to show for it.
If you want to try to improve your New Year luck, here are a few tips:
Good luck
Opening windows and/or doors is considered to bring in the good luck of the New Year.
Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to 'scare away' ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the New Year.
Sweets are eaten to ensure a "sweet" year.
It is important to have the house completely clean from top to bottom before New Year's Day for good luck in the coming year. (however, as explained below, cleaning the house after New Year's Day is frowned upon)
Some believe that what happens on the first day of the New Year reflects the rest of the year to come. Chinese people will often gamble at the beginning of the year, hoping to get luck and prosperity.
Wearing a new pair of slippers that is bought before the new year, because it means to step on the people who gossip about you.
The night before the New Year, bathe yourself in pomelo leaves and some say that you will be healthy for the rest of the new year.
Bad luck
Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck amongst some Chinese. The character for "shoe" (鞋) is a homophone for the character 諧/谐, which means "rough" in Cantonese; in Mandarin it is also a homophone for the character for "evil" (邪).
Getting a hair-cut in the first lunar month puts a curse on maternal uncles. Therefore, people get a hair-cut before the New Year's Eve.
Washing your hair is also considered to be washing away one's own luck (although modern hygienic concerns take precedence over this tradition)
Sweeping the floor is usually forbidden on the first day, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year.
Saying words like "finished" and "gone" is inauspicious on the New Year, so sometimes people would avoid these words by saying "I have completed eating my meal" rather than say "I have finished my meal."
Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious.
Buying books is bad luck because the character for "book" (書/书) is a homonym to the character for "lose" (輸/输).
Avoid clothes in black and white, as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral colour.
Foul language is inappropriate during Chinese New Year.
Offering anything in fours, as the number four (四), pronounced sμ, can sound like "death" (死) in Chinese.
Never mind, the Year of the Rat is over today and tomorrow is the start of the Year of the Ox.
First of all
Happy New Year (English)
Gung Hei Fat Choi! (Cantonese)
Gong Xi Fa Cai! (Mandarin)
You can also call it the Year of the Bull or Year of the Cow, depending on how you relate to your beast of burden.
Regardless, the Year of the Ox is a plodding year with steady, slow, but more lasting gains than the previous year. Unfortunately, this is an earth year and the oxen, they, like the water. So, it will still be a tough, lean year. It is also more yin than yang, so the cow aspect of soft and nurturing is more dominant. That means that the guys need to shower more. Wait, no Im probably misreading this. It means that the guys need to get their dates/spouses to drink more and get along with their hard and fast yang. Girls just need to be mindful not to give the cow away too soon.
A child born this year will be pretty stubborn. I was born in the Year of the Ox and this is my fourth cycle, so I know all about it because Ive been plodding around for some time but with very little lasting gains to show for it.
If you want to try to improve your New Year luck, here are a few tips:
Good luck
Opening windows and/or doors is considered to bring in the good luck of the New Year.
Switching on the lights for the night is considered good luck to 'scare away' ghosts and spirits of misfortune that may compromise the luck and fortune of the New Year.
Sweets are eaten to ensure a "sweet" year.
It is important to have the house completely clean from top to bottom before New Year's Day for good luck in the coming year. (however, as explained below, cleaning the house after New Year's Day is frowned upon)
Some believe that what happens on the first day of the New Year reflects the rest of the year to come. Chinese people will often gamble at the beginning of the year, hoping to get luck and prosperity.
Wearing a new pair of slippers that is bought before the new year, because it means to step on the people who gossip about you.
The night before the New Year, bathe yourself in pomelo leaves and some say that you will be healthy for the rest of the new year.
Bad luck
Buying a pair of shoes is considered bad luck amongst some Chinese. The character for "shoe" (鞋) is a homophone for the character 諧/谐, which means "rough" in Cantonese; in Mandarin it is also a homophone for the character for "evil" (邪).
Getting a hair-cut in the first lunar month puts a curse on maternal uncles. Therefore, people get a hair-cut before the New Year's Eve.
Washing your hair is also considered to be washing away one's own luck (although modern hygienic concerns take precedence over this tradition)
Sweeping the floor is usually forbidden on the first day, as it will sweep away the good fortune and luck for the new year.
Saying words like "finished" and "gone" is inauspicious on the New Year, so sometimes people would avoid these words by saying "I have completed eating my meal" rather than say "I have finished my meal."
Talking about death is inappropriate for the first few days of Chinese New Year, as it is considered inauspicious.
Buying books is bad luck because the character for "book" (書/书) is a homonym to the character for "lose" (輸/输).
Avoid clothes in black and white, as black is a symbol of bad luck, and white is a traditional Chinese funeral colour.
Foul language is inappropriate during Chinese New Year.
Offering anything in fours, as the number four (四), pronounced sμ, can sound like "death" (死) in Chinese.