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Practice Building Tips & Articles
Chinese New Year: Year of the Dog
By: American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM)
Date Published: 01-16-2006
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Welcome to the year of the Dog! The Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600 BC. The Chinese calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the year being based on the cycles of the moon. Therefore, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere from late January to mid February. This year it falls on January 29, 2006.
A complete cycle of the calendar takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each. Each of the 12 years is named after an animal. Legend says that Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from the earth. Only 12 came to say farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person was born has a profound influence on his/her personality. The Chinese Zodiac consists of the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
If you were born in 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, or 1994, you were born in the Year of the Dog.
The Dog Personality
People born in the year of the Dog tend to be very well liked. Dogs are honest, intelligent and straightforward. They have a deep sense of loyalty and integrity, are trustworthy, and inspire other peopleıs confidence because they know how to keep secrets.
Dog people are usually animated and attractive. Generally amiable and unpretentious, they can get along with others easily. Dogs like to meet others halfway, are always willing to listen to reason and can be counted on to do their share.
Most people born under this sign are very strong, often able to take large amounts of stress or hardship without ill effect. Even though Dogs often put on a bright and cheerful appearance, the Dog is by nature somewhat a pessimist. They tend to worry unnecessarily and would benefit by learning to relax and realize that it is impossible to control everything.
Career
Dogs are resourceful and eager to help out at work. Reliable to a fault, they never shirk their duties and always do their fair share and often more. Dogs enjoy learning new skills and as a result are cherished employees. Responsible and compassionate by nature, dogs can be trusted with sensitive information. A Dogıs just and fair disposition often finds them in positions of leadership where decisions have to be made; itıs discerning nature and superb insight into human nature make it an successful businessperson. Dogs make excellent nurses, counselors, priests, politicians, judges, clerks, police officers, psychiatrists, scientists, teachers, and professors.
Money
Dogs care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. In many cases, they will be born into a good family; if not, they will pull themselves up by their own bootstraps to elevate their status in life.
Dogs work hard and spend wisely. They do not work to buy luxurious things, rather they work to secure a future for their families. Dogs generally have hidden savings accounts for future family endeavors such as family vacations and college tuition.
Friends & Enemies
Dogs are easy to get along with and generally have many friends. They are giving, supportive and calming to those they hold dear. They donıt hold grudges or bear any bad feelings towards anyone who has treated them respectfully and justly.
While dogs are often tolerant of their friends and all of their imperfections, they can be stubborn, critical of and emotionally cold to people they dislike or who deceive them. Dogs are practical, fearless and known for a very sharp tongue, often leading them to be ultra-realistic and outspoken.
Dogs are excellent listeners, always willing to offer a sympathetic ear to anyone in need. The Dog is a sign people like to turn to when they need help because the Dog will come through every time. This animal has a capacity for great empathy and is sensitive to others, particularly if someone has suffered an injustice.
Dogs will often put the well-being of others before their own. Money and status donıt matter much to the Dog. This sign is more concerned with the welfare of family and friends and will do whatever it takes to help them. Dogs are compatible with Rabbits, Tigers and Horses and find enemies with Dragons.
Love
People born in the year of the dog tend to enter relationships that are balanced, where both partners can give as well as take. When in love, Dogs are usually very generous, loyal, and honest.
While the dog personality is very easy to love, they often have trouble trusting others. Therefore, Dogs find it easier to form a friendship first and let it slowly develop into a romance. Potential mates must gain this signıs confidence and trust gradually. Without this trust as a foundation, Dogs can be judgmental and coarse.
Once committed, Dogs they are loving and faithful and quick to defend their partner. This sign places complete faith in their partners and gives them undivided support. At times, Dogs can become possessive and protective, but generally they are open and trusting of their mate. In a Dogıs eyes, the person they love can do no wrong.
Famous Dogs
Famous people born in the year of the Dog include President George Walker Bush, Sylvester Stallone, Shirley McLain, Dolly Parton, Judy Garland, Liza Minelli, David Bowie, Henry Cooper, Winston Churchill, Confucious, Judy Garland, Alexander Hamilton, Herbert Hoover, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Sophia Loren, Elvis Presley, Norman Schwarzkopf, Ava Gardner, Brigitte Bardot, Steven Spielberg, Elvis, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Cher.
Chinese New Year Traditions
The celebrations of Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, last 15 days and are some of the most festive of the year. Preparations usually begin about one month before the New Year. Homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away any traces of bad luck. Doors and window panes are given a new coat of red paint and hung with paper scrolls decorated with themes of happiness, wealth and longevity, a practice believed to keep away ghosts and evil spirits. Many traditional Chinese homes also have live blooming plants and flowers symbolizing rebirth and wealth such as blossoms, peony flowers and kumquat trees.
Because it is believed that oneıs behavior during the New Yearıs season sets the tone for the rest of the year, words that sound like unlucky or undesirable events, such as death or poverty, are not to be spoken. Arguments, scolding children, crying and breaking things are also taboo. During this time, it is typical to wear something red, as this color is believed to ward off evil spirits. Black and white are avoided, as these colors are associated with mourning.
On New Yearıs Eve traditions are carefully observed. An elaborate dinner with large amounts of traditional food symbolizing abundance and wealth for the household is prepared. Each of the nine to 12 courses signifies a good wish such as happiness, good luck, or prosperity. Nian Gao, the New Year's cake and the "prosperity tray", an eight-sided tray filled with fruit, snacks, cookies and cakes, are also served to guests. Each item of the tray represents a type of good fortune: red dates and lotus seeds bring prosperity, melon seeds bring proliferation, and oranges and tangerines bring wealth and good fortune.
After dinner, families stay up and visit together until midnight, when fireworks light up the sky and doors and windows are opened to allow the old year to go out. The custom of putting up red paper and lighting firecrackers began as a way to scare off Nian, a beast that preyed on people the night before the beginning of a new year. Nian destroyed the villages, injured the villagers and took away the livestock and grain stored for the winter. One year as the monster appeared, it was scared away by the color and crackling sounds made by bamboo used in the villagersı fires. From this time on, villagers burned bamboo sticks to keep the monster away during the New Year. Today, firecrackers have replaced the burning of bamboo sticks as a way to drive off "evil energy" and attain peace and good fortune.
New Yearıs day is spent visiting family, friends and neighbors. A custom called Hong Bao, or ³Red Packet,² takes place on this day. As a symbol of good luck married couples give children, unmarried adults, and the elderly money in red envelopes.
Lion Dance
Performances of the dragon and lion dances can also be seen in the streets. Chinese consider lions to be good omens able to repel demons and evil and bring good luck. The dances are accompanied by loud music played on drums, gongs, and cymbals. When the dancers stop in front of a residence or business, it is thought to bring good fortune to the occupants. In return, the residents usually present the dancers with money as a thank you and reward.
Lion Dancing is one of the oldest cultural arts of the Chinese people. It dates back to the Tang Dynasty, around 800A.D. The Emperor of the time had a dream in which his enemies were attacking him, but just as he was about to be overtaken, a mysterious creature saved him. When he woke, the Emperor tried to tell his counselors about this fabulous beast that had saved him, but no one could tell him what it was. Finally, one counselor said that it sounded like a creature that could be found in the West - a lion. Lions are not native to China, so none of the counselors had seen this beast with their own eyes. Thus, the Chinese lion was created by combining the features of the dragon and the phoenix.
Because the lion had saved the Emperor, the lion was considered to be good luck, and so the lion dance evolved as a way to encourage good luck and ward off bad luck.
The Festival of Lanterns
The Festival of Lanterns, a celebration with singing, dancing, and lantern shows, marks the end of the New Year. Often used to adorn temples, gardens, house and boats, the decorative lanterns come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. Silk, paper and plastic lanterns often depict animals, flowers, historical figures and scenes from popular stories. These lanterns are used as signposts to guide guests and spirits of ancestors to the Lunar celebration and back again.
The special food for the Lantern Festival is Yuen Sin or Tong Yuen. These are round dumplings made with sticky rice flour. They can be filled and served as a sweet snack or made plain and cooked in a soup with vegetables, meat and dried shrimp. The round shape of the dumpling is a symbol of wholeness, completeness and unity. The Chinese use the New Year as a time to express their appreciation for protection and good fortune during the year. It is also a time of reconciliation when debts are paid and old grudges are easily cast aside. Although celebrations of the Chinese New Year vary, the underlying message is one of peace and happiness.
For more on Chinese New Year- 2006 Year of the Fire Dog - CLICK HERE
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American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) will be hosting a free event for the public on Sunday, February 5, 2006 from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The college will be offering a complimentary 15-minute auricular (ear) acupuncture treatments, 15-minute Tui Na massages, Tai Chi and Qi Gong workshops, and informational lectures.
A special performance by the Eastern Ways Martial Arts Lion Dance Team will kick off the event promptly at 12:30pm in the collegeıs parking lot at 555 De Haro Street (at 18th in Potrero Hill).
For more information on this event, or to RSVP by February 1, 2006, please call (415) 282-7600 x45.
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