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January 24 will be the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival celebrated by the Chinese, Vietnamese and many others in East Asia. To the Chinese, January 24 will mark the beginning of the Year of the Snake, or the 4699th Year according to the Chinese calendar. If you are born in 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977 or 1989, then this is your YEAR! May the Year of the Snake bring all of us health, joys and prosperity!
Jan.
24th, 2001 4699 Gung
Hey Fat Choy |
Year of the SnakeChinese 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.
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-yearcycle). 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.
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 remembered 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 great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.
Future Chinese/Lunar New Years will fall on:
Chinese Year | Zodiac Animal | Gregorian Calendar |
|---|---|---|
4700 | Horse | February 12, 2002 |
4701 | Ram/Sheep | February 1, 2003 |
4702 | Monkey | January 22, 2004 |
4703 | Rooster | February 9, 2005 |
4704 | Dog | January 29, 2006 |
4705 | Boar | February 18, 2007 |
4706 | Rat | February 7, 2008 |
4707 | Ox | January 26, 2009 |
4708 | Tiger | February 14, 2010 |
4709 | Hare/Rabbit | February 3, 2011 |
4710 | Dragon | January 23, 2012 |
4711 | Snake | February 10, 2013 |
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