DTN News: Chinese New Year 2010 ~ Year Of The Tiger

DTN News: Chinese New Year 2010 ~ Year Of The Tiger * Source: DTN News By Roger Smith (NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 14, 2010: Today, February 14, 2010 (that's right, Valentine's Day!) marks the start of the Year of the Tiger on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Chinese New Year is a holiday celebrating the beginning of a new year according to the lunar calendar. It's one of the most important holidays for Chinese families, who celebrate with big family gatherings, gift giving, eating special foods and tons of decorations, which all focus on bringing good luck for the new year and celebrating the coming of Spring. Some Chinese families celebrate Chinese New Year for a whole month!A white tiger rests inside an enclosure at Beijing Zoo in Beijing, China, Monday, Feb. 8, 2010. There are fewer than 50 wild tigers left in China today, living in Yunnan, Tibet, Jilin and Helongjiang, according to Xie Yan, the China program director of the Wildlife Conservation Society. The organization is working with the Chinese government to help protect Amur tigers from poachers and develop new habits to their survival.

Traditions & Symbols ~ Clean house and new clothes: Before the first day of Chinese New Year families clean their homes from top to bottom to clear out any bad luck from the last year and to get the house ready for good luck in the new year. But be careful: all the cleaning has to be finished before New Year's Day so there's no chance of accidentally throwing out the good fortune of the new year.

Also, before New Year's Day, you're supposed to buy new clothes or cut your hair in order to have a fresh start. And never, ever wear black during Chinese New Year - it's bad luck. Red is the colour of good luck, so wearing lots of red is encouraged.

Decorate the house. Another popular custom is to hang up signs and posters on doors and windows with the Chinese word fu written on them, which means luck and happiness. Put a lot of flowers around your home - they symbolize a new beginning.

Eat with your family. On the night of the Chinese New Year it's customary to visit relatives and eat a huge meal that includes: *Eight or nine different dishes, because those are lucky numbers (nine = prosperity; eight = long-lasting). *Dumplings (because they look like gold nuggets). *Oranges (because they're perfectly round, symbolizing wholeness). *Long noodles (because they symbolize long life). *Sticky rice cakes and sweets (because they're part of a story about the Kitchen God, who is sorta like Santa Claus Chinese travelers wait to enter the Beijing train station, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010. Millions of Chinese workers are boarding trains to head home for the Lunar New Year, a holiday that triggers the world's biggest annual migration of people. Give good luck gifts. Lots of kids get gifts from adults on Chinese New Year - little red envelopes stuffed with money to symbolize wealth for the coming year. But don't open your envelope until the person who gave it to you has left your home!

Make lanterns. The Chinese New Year celebration ends with a Lantern Festival, which honors the first full moon of the year and represents the coming of Spring. Families light lanterns, which symbolize the brightness of spring, and hang them on walls around the house or carry them on poles in lantern parades.

Honor the animal. For Chinese families, every year is associated with one of 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. These animals are often represented in decorations during the holiday. This year, the animal is the Tiger. Some people think if you were born during the year of a certain animal you'll end up with the character traits of that animal. For example, if you were born during the year of the rat, you will grow up to be imaginative and cunning.