Chinese
New Year - 2006 Year of the Dog
January 29, 2006 - February 17, 2007
The Chinese
calendar is based on solar and lunar cycles and thus the new
year falls on a different day of the Western solar calendar
each year. This Chinese year, the year 4701, begins on January 29. Each year is designated by one of 12 animals in the Chinese
calendar. This year is the
Year of the Dog.
Year
of the Dog runs from January 29, 2006 - February 17, 2007. This is the year of the Fire Dog and
is a Yang Year.
Dog Personality & Traits
- loyal, honest, direct, a sense of justice, helpful, worriers, good conversationalists, trustworthy, level-headed but tempers can flare but are quickly over it, sensible, wonderful friends and
good listeners, resourceful, reliable, can be
moody and judgemental, good leaders
Click
Here to find out what Animal sign you were born under.
Then check below to see what the Year of the Dog
holds for you.
Rat:
A busy, unsettling demanding time for rats. There will be people willing to help out with your demanding projects, utilize them, however, do not take them for granted. May also be a busy year of travelling.
Ox:
A great year for Ox people for socializing. Often a stressful year for many other signs, Ox people just bulldoze through obstacles. There will be lots of support at work for you.
Tiger:
A good year for Tigers and domestically stable. Watch for opportunities for education and for travel. You will have great support from others in all life's area, others want you to succeed.
Rabbit:
Rabbit people do well in the Year of the Dog. Steady progress can be made, with lots of support from others. Your business undertaking and finances do well this year. Expect many successes this year.
Dragon:
A time for being patient and keeping a low profile. Your home life will be contented and settled. A good year for spending time with friends. You would do well with education and changing jobs.
Snake:
A active year. As you set your plans in motion, expect finanicial rewards. Be security-minded and take care of your finances. Be sure to take time to relax with all the activities happening.
Horse:
An auspicious year for the Horse person. You will make great gains this year, with rewards and recognition in all areas. There will be plenty of happy times with friends.
Sheep: Can be a challenging year for the Sheep. Keep a low profile, but success comes from balance. Appreciate and acknowledge those that are your support group. There are opportunites for you at work.
Monkey: A busy year for the monkey. A very good year for education, business and investments. Luck is on the monkey's side. Be careful with business dealings, making sure you read the fine-print.
Rooster: A great year for Rooster people. Be sure to take very calculated risks this year or do not take risk at all. This will be a successful year.
Dog: This is the Dog's own year. A time to recoupe losses from recent years. Great opportunities for making rapid progress. You will attain your well-deserved recognition.
Pig: This is a good year for your career. Your year will improve as it goes along. Your circumstances will be improved this year and this is a great year to plan for the future.
For
more details on your Animal Sign and the year ahead for you,
Chinese
Astrology web site gives forecasts for the year to come.
Celebrating
Chinese New Years.
The days
before Chinese New Year’s are spent thoroughly cleaning
and decorating the home (often with red banners, as red is
considered especially auspicious), preparing special foods,
getting a haircut and mending old clothes. Everything is meant
to look fresh and new to set the tone of the coming year.
Red
is said to be the luckiest color and most celebrants decorate
their homes with red banners and dress in red for the celebrations.
 Ideas
for celebrating:
Host a Chinese potluck and invite your friends and family
over to celebrate the Chinese New Year with you. Be sure to
decorate your home with red!
If there is a large Chinese community in your town or city,
check to see what will be going on. Often dragon dances, parades
and other festivities are scheduled and open to the public.
Check your local listings or contact the local Chinese cultural
centre or cultural association. The bright and open celebrations
are not to be missed!
Red paper scrolls: Chun lian are special Chinese couplets, often written on red paper, which are hung outside the front door of houses and businesses. The sayings are meant to bring luck and fortune to the dwelling for the coming year. Check out the following pages to learn more about chun lian and how to write a common Chinese verses in the beautiful Chinese calligraphy.
http://www.chinapage.com/duilian/chunlian0.html
http://www.chinatown-online.co.uk/pages/learn/class_newyear.html
http://www.newton.mec.edu/Angier/DimSum/new_year_g.html
Red Packets- Hongbao, or red packets filled with money, are given to children on Chinese New Year’s by parents, grandparents, friends and other relatives to symbolize luck and wealth. Making red packets is a fun family activity that is easy enough for even young kids and a couple of dollars put into each makes them a well-received gift. Check out the following page for directions on how to make them:
http://www.chinatown-online.co.uk/pages/new_year/class_packet.html
Paper Lanterns The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year’s) lasts for 15 days and is marked at the end of it by the lantern festival (Yunxiao). Celebrating the first full moon of the year, paper lanterns were traditionally carried into the streets for a community parade and were often accompanied by fabulous folk dances, including the dragon dance. Try making paper lanterns to hang around your home as part of your Chinese New Year’s celebrations. Directions can be found at:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/chinesenewyear/lantern/ |
