Chinese New Year: Is this your lucky year?

Welcome to the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Goat!

In the days before Chinese New Year, traditionally Chinese people prepare for by cleaning house to rid their homes of any ill-fortune and make way for incoming good luck. A year of good luck sounds great to me, so we cleaned house on Monday! How about you?

Herend Baby Goat

Herend Baby Goat

You may be looking forward to more good luck if you were born in the year of the goat in 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, or 2003.

The Chinese New Year is a week-long festival with a schedule of events for each day that are typically observed. For the actual New Year’s Day, which is today, February 19th, tradition is to:

  • Set off firecrackers to chase away bad spirits
  • Eat your first meal of the year. Many people choose to eat dumplings because the dumpling’s shape symbolizes fortune.
  • Pay a visit to senior family members.

In the beginning of the new year, certain words are considered forbidden. These words, according to travelchinaguide.com, include “death”, “killing”, “ghost”, and “illness”. Yikes! How’s a thriller writer supposed to work without using those words? Maybe I should take a few days off!

How are you celebrating the Chinese New Year? Is this your lucky year?

Meanwhile —

Caffeinate and Carry On!

Diane Capri

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3 Responses to Chinese New Year: Is this your lucky year?

  1. judy February 19, 2015 at 1:14 pm #

    Not that lucky. Born in 1940. Sure like to read your newsletters. I Learn a lot. Never to old to learn.

  2. Rosemary Simm February 19, 2015 at 4:34 pm #

    I’m a 1943 Chinese New Year baby. The goat has always brought me luck and I have lived my
    life to the maximum. This little Herend Baby Goat would look wonderful on my shelf where I could rub it and have it bring me extra good luck.

    • Diane March 5, 2015 at 9:15 am #

      Isn’t that little goat the cutest thing, Rosemary? I’m sure he would bring you good luck!

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