Year of the Rat

Well yesterday was Keanul's birthday!! Happy 14th!! Keanul and I hung out together most of the day. Which was nice. I enjoyed it greatly. We all went for breakfast, and then Keanul and I went to the mall. Keanul chose a place for the 4 of us to have supper. I hope he enjoyed his day.

It was also Chinese New Years. It is the year of the rat. Those born in the rat years tend to be leaders, passionate, charismatic, practical, and hardworking.

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 ther festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crakling flames would frighten evil spirits.

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest.

New Years Eve and New Years 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.

This is alittle of my family history. My mother is from Taiwan which celebrates this holiday.