Sunday, February 10, 2013

Happy New Year (again)!


Happy New Year? What? Did I imbibe a bit too deeply of mango daiquiris on the 31 December and miss the big event?

Actually I’m talking about Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival. The day heralds the arrival of the first solar term in the Chinese calendar and is officially the end of winter. It falls on the second new moon after winter solstice, which is why the date changes each year. In comparison to the Gregorian calendar it usually falls between 21 January and 20 February. The traditional greeting is Kung Hei Fat Choi, literally meaning ‘may you be prosperous!’