Ushering the Year of Ox

Gong Xi Fa Chai!!! :) Here are the wishes you will hearing the most often during these two days... Chinese New Year is a time for feasting, family reunions and fun! Each year, Chinese throughout the world spend weeks preparing for the 15-day celebration, officially called the Spring Festival.

How did Chinese New Year come to be celebrated? According to an ancient legend, people were once tormented by a beast called a Nian - a ferocious creature with an extremely large mouth, capable of swallowing several people in a single bite. Relief from the Nian came only when an old man tricked the beast into disappearing. In reality, New Years festivities probably evolved from a desire to celebrate the end of winter and the fertility and rebirth that come with the spring, much like the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Today, New Years is about family reunions and wishing everyone good fortune in the coming year. The Spring Festival is China's major traditional holiday, and is also celebrated in other parts of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam (where New Year's Day is called "Tet"), Malaysia, Taiwan, and of course, Hong Kong. However, in my research I couldn't find any mention of Chinese New Year's celebrations in Japan.

Lisa Heupel, an expert on Japanese Culture, came up with a possible reason - apparently the Japanese followed the lunar calendar until the middle of the nineteenth century. However, after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they adopted the Gregorian calendar. Since that time New Years is celebrated on January 1st. While there are other popular festivals celebrating the arrival of spring, such as Hanami or the cherry blossom viewing festival, for the most part Chinese New Year goes unnoticed in Japan, except for a few small celebrations by the Chinese who live there.

Here, I want to wish my dear hubby - May the new year brings you good health, good wealth and happiness. Gong Xi Fa Chai! May all your wish come true on this special year! :) Thank you for the wonderful CNY celebrations. I love spending it together just the two of us! :)