Truemors
To all my Flickr Friends: I'm sorry if I've not visited your photostream lately. I'm too busy working, too much to do, with too little spare time & Chinese New Year is nearly here.
So let me wish all of you a Happy & Prosperous Lunar New Year! May the Year of The Ox brings you an abundance of Happiness, Wealth & Good Health!
As the Chinese calendar is different from the western(Gregorian) calendar, this year Chinese New Year falls on the 26th Jan 2009, Monday. It's the year of the Earth Ox. Usually, the celebration to welcome in the Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days. Time had changed. In this modern times, working people usually only get a few days off.
Days before the arrival of the new year, almost all Chinese families will do spring cleaning of their house. Those whom are still into traditional religion, will burn offerings & offerings of food/drinks to their house deities in the hope that those deities will give good appraisal of the members in the house to Heaven above. xD
On the eve of Lunar New Year, most Chinese families will held a reunion dinner at the home of their family's most senior or oldest member. After which, at midnight, huge numbers of firecrackers will be let off to welcome in the new year, but alas, firecrackers were banned here long ago. Traditionally, children will be encourage to stay up late on this particular day, based on an age-old belief that the longer the young ones are awake on the eve of the new year, their parents or grandparents will have a longer life. I dunno how true is that, but in the past, as a hyperactive kid, I'm happy to be allowed to play past my bedtime! LOL! =P
Nowadays, without firecrackers on the eve of Chinese New Year, people either went to watch the public fireworks display, float parade or roaming Chinatown in hope of a good bargain as stalls will try to get rid of their goods at ridiculous low price on the last day. There will also be a lantern light-up at the river which I can't decide to go or not coz it will be very very crowded! xD
Traditionally, fashion colors for the celebration of Chinese New Year are red and gold/yellow. Erm... that will crash with my fashion & I forgotten to buy a bright red or gold hotpants! LOL! Anyway, frankly speaking, not much modern Chinese follow that anymore. =P
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