Kung Hei Fat Choy - Happy Chinese New Year 2010

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is The Year of a Golden Tiger, which begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011.   The first day of the lunar New Year 2010 falls on the 14th day of February, which is Saint Valentine's Day, so it is a day the West celebrates as a lovers' day, a day of romance. a day of Valentine.  To the Chinese, it is the start of the Golden Tiger Year.  The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of  Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs.  It is a sign of courage. This fearless and fiery fighter is revered by the ancient Chinese as the sign that wards off the three main disasters of a household: fire, thieves and ghosts.  On New Year's day itself, it is beneficial to celebrate, to be happy, to have smiling faces, and to refrain from scowling, quarreling, or criticizing anyone.

The Tiger is one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, and is feared and revered in equal measure.  It features in many Asian cultures as a manifestation of courage, power, passion and royalty.  In Feng Shui, it is one of the four celestial animals where it takes its place as the White Tiger.  The other three celestial animals are the Green Dragon, Red Phoenix and Black Tortoise.  The Tiger symbolizes the female Yin energy as opposed to the Yang male energy of the dragon.  Ancient Chinese believe that the markings on the forehead of tigers resemble the Chinese character for "Wang", or King.  In Imperial China, where the dragon is the insignia of the emperors, the tiger is the military emblem of the highest supreme commanders of the army symbolizing fearlessness and victory.  The Tiger also represents earth, while the dragon represents Heaven.  The powerful and stealth prowess of the Tiger inspire the martial art movements of many Kung-Fu masters.

The Sign of the Tiger

Courageous, active, and self-assured.  Optimistic, passionate and independent. Rebellious, dynamic, and unpredictable. Quick tempered but considerate.  Affectionate but careless.  The Tiger is a natural born leader and symbolizes power, passion and daring.

People born in the Year of the Tiger are generally well liked because of their charming personalities.  Often, failing at a given task or being unproductive in his personal or professional life can cause a Tiger to experience a deep depression.  Criticism from loved ones can also generate this type of Tiger reaction.

Tigers are fond of competitions. They simply cannot pass up a challenge.  They may appear cool and are unpredictable, and it would be unwise to underestimate their reactions.  Natural  leaders, they have a strong sense of their own dignity.  They are intelligent, alert, and farsighted.  Good strategists and tacticians, they often have a hidden agenda.  As long as they do not risk their luck too often, and keep their restless nature under control, they will enjoy success and happiness.

People born in the Year of the Tiger are straightforward and uninhibited in nature. They will never give up no matter how frustrated they may become.  But, they are also full of suspicion and  sometimes will take hasty action. 

They must be aware of how they react to and are affected by the consequences of their tempers.  They should take it a little easier and learn to pace themselves to keep active longer and to prevent early burnout.  They are blessed with flexibility and often recover quickly from illness or pain. 

Some people born in the Year of the Tiger are gentle and full of sympathy.  They are kind, love babies and anything that arouses their imagination.  Others can be stubborn and selfish.  Generally speaking, people born in the Year of the Tiger are fond of playing, and full of enthusiasm and sentiment.  Some are  mercurial.  They can laugh happily one moment, and cry the next.  They will be optimistic, but at the next they will lose their heart totally.

People born in the Year of the Tiger take pride in being different than others, and generally illustrate their originality best in their homes.  Their homes are usually filled with exotic treasures.  They are fast learners, need challenge and often work alone.  Some tend to change careers more often because they get bored easily.  They are natural born leaders and perform best if working towards positions of power and influence.  They like to spend money, and also to share it.  They can be quite impulsive spenders because they know they can always make more. 

It is interesting that their two main features are rashness and hesitation, a pair of contradictions. If they know how to relax and do things according to the situation, they can become quite successful.  

Generally, the Chinese people prepares for this holiday by making sure everything in their life is in order, or at least under control. By this I mean the house should be clean, rifts or problems should be resolved, clothes worn should be clean or new, etc. At midnight there are fireworks and firecrackers to greet the coming of the new year. The belief behind this is that the noise created by the firecrackers will drive away evil spirits.

After the festivities, the family will sit down to a feast. A sticky rice pudding called nian gao (or "tikoy") as well as dumplings is usually present in these feasts. Nian gao is also given to family and friends, the belief behind this is that the stickiness of the nian gao will hold or bind the family together. Also, because of its round shape and sweet taste, it is said to bring good fortune and sweetness to one's life.

Houses are decorated with lights and lanterns. Red is a popular color to wear when ushering in the Chinese New Year. Also, hongbao / angpau, or red envelopes that contain money, are given to family and friends (especially the youngsters) as a symbol of luck and wealth. There are also lots of musical performances and parades; the most famous of which is the dragon and lion dance. In the Chinese culture, the dragon is the deity of water ensuring that no drought will come. The lion, on the other hand, helps ward off evil spirits since it symbolizes power and courage.