Celebrating the New Year in Japan means paying special attention to the "first" time something is done in the New Year. Hatsuhinode is the first sunrise of the year. Before sunrise on January 1, people often drive to the coast or climb a mountain so that they can see the first sunrise of the New Year. The real celebration does not begin until sunrise when the traditional meal of vegetables, seafood and dessert is served in one dish - the different types of food symbolizing prosperity.
In Asia, sunrise celebrations and honoring of the ancestors and elders brings luck.
Koreans make wishes for the New Year while watching the sunrise. Some wear traditional clothing. Family members gather early in the morning to remember their ancestors. After the observance, they eat a kind of rice cake soup. Koreans believe that eating this food will add an extra year to their life. After the meal, young people lower their heads to honor their parents and older adults. This means good health and good wishes. Many parents give the children money.
Vietnamese people get up and put on new clothes at sunrise.
Mongolians have a tradition to climb the nearest sacred hill or mountain on the first morning of the New year, offering dishes and burning juniper and incense sticks to welcome the New Year.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2015 is the Year of the Goat, which begins on February 19, 2015, and ends on February 7, 2016. The Goat is the Eighth Sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal Signs. It is lucky that the Goat is ranked eighth in the cycle of Chinese Zodiac Animals, because the number "eight" in Chinese is an auspicious one, symbolizing peace and prosperity. Generally speaking, people born in the Year of the Goat are generous, just and kind, and easily touched by other people's misfortunes. They are meek and somewhat timid, pessimistic by nature. Famous Goat People: Barbara Stanwyck, Catherine Deneuve, Christina Ricci, Evita Peron, Heather Mills, Jane Austen, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Judy Davis, Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Katharine Hepburn, Laura Dern, Mira Sorvino, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, Simone de Beauvoir, Veronica Lake, and Woopi Goldberg.
Plan on being early enough to witness the sunrise. We'll start to gather around 6:30 a.m. and hang till about 7:30 a.m. then head to breakfast. Happy New Year Everyone.
