JESUS LOVES PEBBLES: The Year of the Moo-Moo

Chinese New Year celebrates a new Lunar Year. The Lunar calendar is different from the English calendar. In the Lunar calendar, each month only has 30 days.

Chinese New Year begins according to the Chinese calendar which consists of both Gregorian and lunar-solar calendar systems. Because the track of the new moon changes from year to year, Chinese New Year can begin anytime between late January and mid-February.

Another difference between the Lunar calendar and the English calendar is that each Lunar year is represented by an animal. There are a total of 12 animals of the Chinese horoscope - rat (or mouse, as I prefer to call it), ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Elements (that is, metal, water, wood, fire and earth) are also attributed to the animals.

This year, Chinese New Year falls on 26 January 2009 (Monday) and lasts 15 days. In Singapore, we are given 2 days of public holidays for Chinese New Year, that is, the 1st day and the 2nd day of Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. It is also a tradition that single women will throw oranges into the river on the 15th day of Chinese New Year in order to find a boyfriend soon - nowadays, I do not think that this tradition is practised (in Singapore, at least) lest the women be fined for littering!

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-year cycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

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 Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. In the past, families would gather at the home of one of the family members (usually the patriach or matriach of the family) and eat a home-cooked meal on the eve of Chinese New Year. Nowadays, many families have their reunion dinner at restaurants.

The reunion dinner for my mother's family is held at my maternal grandmother's home in Muar, Malaysia every year. In the past, my grandmother would cook a sumptuous spread for the reunion dinner. As she got older and was no longer able to cook, the family changed the reunion dinner to a steamboat dinner at my grandmother's home.

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. Some families will bake new year goodies such as egg rolls (love letters) whereas others will buy them from the stores.

Prior to New Year's Day, Chinese families decorate their living rooms with vases of pretty blossoms, platters of oranges and tangerines and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit. On walls and doors are poetic couplets, happy wishes written on red paper. These messages sound better than the typical fortune cookie messages. For instance, "May you enjoy continuous good health" and "May the Star of Happiness, the Star of Wealth and the Star of Longevity shine on you" are especially positive couplets.

Etiquette dictates that you must bring a bag of oranges and tangerines when visiting family or friends anytime during the two-week long Chinese New Year celebration. Tangerines with leaves intact assure that one's relationship with the other remains secure. For newlyweds, this represents the branching of the couple into a family with many children. Oranges and tangerines are symbols for abundant happiness. My family likes to buy the Mandarin oranges from Swatow, China as we find that these tend to be sweeter.

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 ox years tend to be painters, engineers (eg. my UJ!), and architects. They are stable, fearless, obstinate, hard-working and friendly. Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Walt Disney and Sir Anthony Hopkins were all born in the year of the ox.

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits. In Singapore and Malaysia, the lighting of fire crackers has since been banned because it can be dangerous if the person lighting the firecracker does not know how to do so properly - the sparks may enter the eye of a person nearby and cause blindness.

All years ending in an odd number are Yin and the ones with an even number ending are considered to be the Yang forms according to the Chinese methods of the calender cycle. Therefore the Ox year 2009 will have Yin forms along with the character of the Ox. Ox characterizes a dependable, patient, methodical and calm, hardworking, materialistic as well as an ambitious character. The Ox years so far have been 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 and now 2009 followed by 2021 (according to the 12 year cycle).

People born in the Chinese New Year of Ox, 2009 will preponderantly have the below mentioned traits in their character: Leadership qualities, dependable, great organizers, loyal, patient as well as strong and responsible. They are also some of the best people one can have as colleagues in the work place as they are believed to posses strong work ethics and display their creative side as well, especially when it comes to decorating their home.

Since the people born in the Ox year are also trusted to be reliable and logical, people generally turn towards them for suggestions and guidance. Their honesty and eye for details also helps them to prove their worth both in the workplace as well as in their personal lives.

People born under the influence of the Ox are kind, caring souls, logical, positive, filled with common sense and with their feet firmly planted on the ground. Security is their main preoccupation in life, and they are prepared to toil long and hard in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest for themselves and their families. Strong-minded, stubborn, individualistic, the majority are highly intelligent individuals who do not take kindly to being told what to do.

Oxen are as hard-working as anyone, and particularly systematic, and are quick-thinking. They are prepared to recognize the points of view of others and to think about their ideas and suggestions, making them easy to work with in a business environment. They generally consider the feelings of others which makes them good roommates or partners. In addition, their sincerity and patience ensures their popularity with friends, peers and family.