WELCOMING THE YEAR OF THE METAL RABBIT

This February 3, 2011, many of us would be celebrating the Chinese New Year. Many of us believes that Chinese New Year is a celebration of change.  It is the 4709th year in the Chinese calendar.

 Metal Rabbit Years
1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023

There are many beliefs when it comes to welcoming the Chinese New Year.
Here are some of what Chinese people do during New Year's eve, to attract good vibes and for continues flow of blessings throughout the year.
Clean your house, every corner should be swept but then after, put away all the brooms and brushes. Never sweep the floor on New Years Day because they believe that sweeping the floor during New Years Day will drive away all the luck that is in store for the coming year. Cleaning the house should start at the front door going to the center of the house, keep the dust and throw it after the 5th day. If possible, hang red paper lanterns and decorate with red scrolls. Wear new clothes. Have a new haircut but not on the day of New Year because it means driving away good luck.
Settle all your debts. Resolve all problems and differences with the whole family, friends, colleagues and neighbors. Never say anything negative on New Years Day. Never utter the word four for in China it means death. Knifes and other sharp objects should be kept away during the New Year to avoid accidents.
Chinese fill their dining table with lots of foods. One of the most common ritual during Chinese New Year is  eating Nian Gao or TIKOY for the Filipinos. It is also known as Chinese cake. Tikoy is made of glutinous rice. Nian Gao or tikoy symbolizes unity for the whole family throughout the year and its sweet taste is for good relationship. Some also have Hopia which symbolizes eternity and hope. There should also be noodles as this symbolizes long life.

If you are going to give Ang Pao ( a Chinese red envelope with Chinese characters outside.) which contains money, it should be divisible by 2, for the reason that in China, even numbers means harmony.

In order to chase away bad spirits and bad luck or negative energies, Chinese do the Dragon and Lion dance. There are difference between a Lion dance and Dragon dance. A lion dance is usually composed of 4 person, 2 for the head and 2 for the body of the lion. They are the ones who goes in business premises to get the hanging Ang Pao while the dragon dance is composed of 10 to 50 persons.  It has a longer body and controlled by poles.

The year of the Rabbit is considered to be the most luckiest year.
A rabbit is a symbol of  long life, good manner, and compassion. A person born under the sign of the rabbit were said to be private. He would rather do things by himself discreetly instead of being the center attention. He would be lucky in business and other transactions involving money. Although moody, a person born under the rabbit sign would live in tranquility. He is considerate and understanding, he avoids conflicts. Metal rabbits are very intense whether at work or romance. They are very ambitious.
A person born under this sign is said to be compatible with a person born under the sign of the pig, sheep and dog but not with rooster and rat.

Good Luck to all of you on the year of the Rabbit!  
KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!!

HOW DO CHINESE NEW YEAR STARTED?

The most important and grandest of the social, traditional holiday in China is the Spring Festival or the Chinese New Year. It is a great time for family get together. Although many Chinese has adopted the Western calendar, wherein Chinese celebrating New Year on January 1, they still observe the traditional Chinese New Year.
There is a known Chinese legend that tells how the Chinese New Year started, It is said that the traditional holiday in China started when their ancestors fought Nian, a cruel monster who greedily eats on  crops, livestock  and the inhabitants specially the children. It is said the he would come during lunar month to hunt for villagers (if you are aware of the game World of Warcraft, the boss OMEN was actually inspired by Nian). Villagers were very afraid of him. They would locked themselves at home. so as not to be one of Nian's prey. During one of Nian's attack, an old, wise man from the village have noticed that Nian was sensitive to loud noises and that he was afraid of children wearing red. The villagers came up with a plan that when the monster would again attack, they would beat drums and gongs, and would light up firecrackers (by that time they use gunpowders) to make loud noises  and they would wear red robes. When the monster Nian attacked, they did what has been planned and the beast ran out. Ever since, the ferocious monster no longer appeared in the village. Since then, they celebrate their victory every year during winter, making loud noises by beating drums, gongs, lighting firecrackers and wearing red, thus making it the celebration of the Chinese New Year.
GONG HE XIN XI, Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái!,

PAROL: THE FILIPINO CHRISTMAS LANTERN

Philippines is the only country in Asia where Christianity is predominant.
Christmas is the most celebrated holiday in the Philippines. Several business establishments and companies plays Christmas carols as early as September. We Filipinos started to decorate our homes with Christmas ornaments as early as October and Christmas decorations won't be complete with hanging a Parol outside the house. 
What is a Parol?  A parol is a star like Christmas lanterns used by Filipinos as ornament during Christmas season. They are traditionally made with bamboo and papel de hapon ( Japanese paper ).
The parol was created to symbolize the star that guided the 3 kings ( or should I say three astronomers) to Bethlehem were Jesus Christ was born.
It is said that the first parol was made by  Filipino artisan, Francisco Estanislao of San Fernando, Pampanga in the late 1920's. The new generation parol were now made of plastic materials, capiz or seashells, stained glass, etc.. There are also new different shapes of parol aside from the traditional star shape such as flower, angels, bells and snowflakes.
San Fernando in Pampanga is known as the Christmas lantern capital of the Philippines. This where you can see colorful and skillfully made parols being sold almost all over the town . It is where the evolution of Parol started. San Fernando is also the place where you can see giant lanterns. A giant lantern festival is being held annually in San Fernando during December and is locally called " LIGLIGAN PAROL" . It is a competition of giant parols and every barrio in San Fernando participate. The height of the entries were as high as 20 feet and is made with plastic materials and was being illuminated by thousands of light bulbs.This is one of the amazing things in the Philippines that was included in the Guinness Book of World Records.





Nowadays, several companies, schools and organizations in the Philippines also hold christmas lantern making contest which requires participants to use indigenous materials such as bamboo, pet bottles, plastics, straws, bottle caps, cans, and other garbage materials.
Are you done dressing your homes with Christmas decorations?