Year of the Ox – Celebrating Chinese New Year 2009
Today heralds the start of the Chinese New Year – considered to be the most important of the Chinese holidays – and this year is the turn of the year of the Ox. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month, and marks the commencement of 15 days of celebration until the rising of the next full moon – a day which is called ‘Latern Festival’ when families walk the streets carrying illuminated lanterns.
The holiday symbolises a time for everyone to make a fresh start – much in the same way we perceive our own New Year by making resolutions. In the days leading up to the holiday therefore, people will often thoroughly clean their homes to make way for good luck and sometimes give their doors and window frames a new coat of red paint (the luckiest colour in the Chinese culture).
People may also purchase new clothes and shoes and even have a new hair cut, all with a view to starting afresh – a great idea if ever we heard one!
The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle with each year representing a different animal (Rat, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake, Dragon, Horse, Monkey, Ram, Rooster, Dog, Boar and Ox) and each is believed to be the main factor in a person’s life, influencing their traits and happiness.
Unlike the Western Zodiac it is not the month you are born in which determines your ’sign’ but the year. Here’s a handy link to look up your own Chinese astrology sign!
So this is the”Year of the Ox“, and those born under this sign are said to be born leaders, dependable and loyal friends and tend to have relationships that last! A few famous celebrities born under the Sign of the Ox are: Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana, George Clooney, Richard Gere and Kiera Knightley.
The Rt Hon. Margaret (Baroness) Thatcher LG, OM, FRS, PC
Originally uploaded by Steve Punter
george-clooney.jpg
Originally uploaded by wave-rider
This entry was posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 6:10 pm and is filed under Celebrity Hair & Beauty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.