John's Blog

Gung Hei Fat Choy! Welcome to The Year of the Rooster.

Those born in The Year Of The Rooster are talented, thoughtful, and eccentric. Although capable and talented, they can be difficult to deal with, and become disappointed when they fail. They frequently are loners, and although appearing adventurous and full-of bravado, they are in fact timid. The emotions and moods of The Rooster vary widely, usually swinging from high to low. They are hard workers, brave, outspoken, and confident about making decisions. They will speak their minds, and as a result will be perceived as boastful. Some interesting information on the Chinese calendar can be found here, here, or here.

There are many traditions, and superstitions in the New Year's celebrations. Prior to the New Year's day the house must be cleaned and the kitchen god must be fed to insure good fortune for the coming year. Cleaning and using sharp objects like knives are forbidden since you might be washing away or cutting out good luck for the coming year. Debts should be repaid, profanity avoided, and you should be nice to all for good luck.

Many other Chinese New Year Customs are explained by a nice entry from Wikipedia, as well as some other insights into the Celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Some other links of interest on "semi-related" topics:
E-Cards For Chinese New Year!
Far Away, And Soon: Five Years Of Broken Promises, Bad Advice, And Misguided Consolation From The Fortune Cookie Industry
THE LATEST LANGUAGE SKILLS LEARN CHINESE IN FIVE MINUTES
What's Your Sign?
Forgotten NY:Back To The Bowery
The Well-Tempered Wok