GUNG HAY FAT CHOY ( Happy New year! )

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The oldest and most important festival in China is called the Spring Festival. Many people call it the Chinese New Year. No matter what you call it, it is a time of celebration for millions of Chinese people all over the world. The Spring Festival celebrates the Earth coming back to life and the beginning of plowing and planting. Because the Chinese use a lunar calendar, the date of the Spring Festival changes each year. It takes place at some time during the end of January or the beginning of February. This year it falls on February 18, 2007. The Chinese calendar has a 12 year cycle and each year is named after an animal. People born in each of these years are said to have certain characteristics. The year 2007 (year 4705 on the Chinese calendar) is the Year of the Pig or the Boar. People born in the Year of the Pig are honest, sincere and genuine. They have a heart of gold and people admire them tremendously. They are called upon when sincere advice is needed and will always give a helping hand. Pig people are the best friends anyone can have. They are fun-loving and know how to throw a good party, but if you anger or hurt them, they can be extremely vengeful. They can also be naive, which allows others to take advantage of them. They have a great thirst for knowledge. To prepare for the New Year, Chinese clean their houses, repay any money they owe, get their hair cut, and buy new clothes. They decorate their houses with signs that wish peace and luck for the coming year. These signs look like the ones to the right and left of this story. On New Year's Eve the Chinese light up their houses and gather together for a family dinner. Special foods are served. Most people stay up late and set off fireworks late at night to scare away evil spirits. Another tradition is the handing out of red packets which are decorated paper envelopes containing money.