新年快乐！ (Happy New Year in Chinese)

I just wanted to wish all the ReflectionUpon Blog Readers a Happy Chinese New Year (even if you aren’t Chinese) and for a joyful and prosperous 2009. It is also known as the Spring Festival (春节) or the Lunar New Year (since it corresponds with the Lunar Calendar).

By the way, it is the year of the Ox, which means that if you are born in this year (which are aren’t since you are reading this), you have the zodiac symbol of an ox and supposedly you are likely to have certain characteristics (see this page on Wikipedia). The Chinese cycle of animals repeats every 12 years, so if you were born twelve years ago, you also have the ox for a zodiac symbol.

In China, this is a huge celebration with fireworks, parties, performances (such as the dragon dance), and food (such as dumplings). There is also a tradition for the kids to receive a red envelope from the adults with money in then.

Some more info on Chinese New Year is available on Yahoo! (see here) and on Wikipedia (see here).

Image from mtholyoke.edu (link)