Year of the Tiger

This Sunday is Chinese New Year. We'll be leaving the hard-working yet slightly stodgy Year of the Ox, and heading into the adventurous and energetic Year of the Tiger. Unlike the western New Year, Chinese New Year is a 15-day celebration that ends with the Lantern Festival. This page has some great information about the structure of the Chinese calendar.

There are several taboos and superstitions about the New Year. Most of them involve Luck, or Fu, and the increase of luck for the year to come. Red is an auspicious and ubiquitous color for this day, so your attire and decor will nicely match the western holiday many of us will be celebrating on Sunday. Certain foods are popular during the New Year's celebrations. For example, the Chinese words for tangerines and oranges sound like "gold" and "wealth", so those are lucky foods to give.

So this year, don't feel like you need to go all out with fireworks and a Dragon Dance to celebrate. Just wear some red, give a loved one an orange, and see your luck roll in throughout the Year of the Tiger.