Year of the pig

Our time in Asia has resulted in my awareness of when Chinese New Year occurs – what a wonderful time of family, friends, food, and festivities. The Budman and I actually miss being in Asia when this holiday hits, as we had much time off to see these celebrations up close and to travel to countries that celebrate this holiday, albeit it in slightly different ways.

This year, Chinese New Year kicks off today, February 18th, with this year being the “year of the pig”. The pig is one of 12 animals (or mythical animals in the case of the dragon) on the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac which follows the lunar calendar. According to Chinese astrology, people born in pig years are polite, honest, hardworking, and loyal. They are also lucky, which is why many Chinese like to have babies in a “pig year”.

Celebrations during Chinese New Year obviously center on family: visiting with relatives, travelling great distances to be with extended family, cleaning of family tombs, etc. Other events include the requisite visits and offerings at local temples, as well as the more secular celebrations of fireworks and dragon dances.

I must confess to being a bit nostalgic today as I thought back to previous years and the wonderful memories of Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, and Chuc Mun Nam Moi…just to name a few. Here is a photographic potpourri of some of those memories (and yes, that is me with very short hair).