Gung Hei Fat
Choy!
Year of the
Tiger!
Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival is the most
important of Chinese traditional holidays.
The festival properly begins on the first day of the first lunar
month in the chinese calendar and ends on the 15th day. This
day is called the Lantern Festival.
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family
affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration
was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in
honor of the Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the
family ancestors.
The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals,
united the living members with those who had passed away.
Departed relatives are remember with great respect because they
were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and
glory of the family.
The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve
with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table.
The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living,
celebrate the onset of the New Year as one community. The
communal feast is called "surronding the stove" or weilu. It
symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present
generations.
Probably more food is consumed during the New Year celebrations
than any other time of the year. Vast amounts of traditional
food is prepared for family and friends, as well as those close to
us who have died.
On New Year's Day, the Chinese family will eat a vegetarian dish
called jai. Although the various ingredients in jai are root
vegetables or fibrous vegetables, many people attribute various
superstitious aspects to them:
Here are some examples:
Lotus Seed
- signify having many male offspring |
Ginko Nut
- represents silver ingots |
Black Moss Seaweed
- is a homonym for exceeding wealth |
Dried Bean Curd
- is another homonym for fulfillment of wealth and
happiness |
Bamboo Shoots
- is a term which sounds like "wishing that everything would be
well" |
Fresh Bean Curd or Tofu
- is not included as it is white and unlucky for New year as the
colour signifies death and misfortune |
February 14th, 2010 is the year of the Metal
Tiger
Last date of the year of the Metal Tiger was February 5th,
1962
Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals
to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a
year after each one. He announced that the people born in each
animal's year would have some of that animal's personality.
Those born in the year of the Tiger share these Characteristics:
Courage, Vehemence, Self-Reliance, Friendliness, Hopefulness,
Resilience, Vanity, Disregard
Some famous people born in the year of the
Metal Tiger:
John Candy, Dr. Phil, Jay Leno, Bill Murray
Tom Petty, Randy Quaid, Snoopy, Stevie Wonder
Other famous people born in the year of the
Tiger:
Sir David Attenborough, Natalie Wood, Tom Berenger, Agatha
Christie
H.G. Wells, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Dickinson
Isadora Duncan, Roberta Flack, Frederick Forsyth, Jodie
Foster
Sir Alec Guiness, Hugh Hefner, William Hurt, Dylan Thomas
Marilyn Monroe, Demi Moore, Beatrix Potter, Diana Rigg
Lionel Ritchie, Kenny Rogers
Nikon-Guy was born in the year of the Water Ox
GreyingJay was born in the year of the Earth Horse (Posted with
permission)
Want to find out what element and zodiac animal you are? The
following link will take you to Wikipedia for a chart.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology
When you post your
'Will
Attend' log, please let us know how many
adults and
children are in your
group.
If you are willing you can also include what your Chinese Zodiac
Sign is.
Where:
Emerald Buffet (Formerly DuBarry Buffet)
Reservations made under Canada's
Capital Cachers
33 Selkirk St., Vanier, ON
When:
Saturday, February 13th, 2010 @ 12:00PM
For current prices, please call the location,
e-mail me or check forum at the Ottawa Geocaching website.
