2012 is the Year of the Dragon
Welcome, brother Dragon, we promise that you will have the palace by midnight --- GUNG HAY FAT CHOI 恭禧發財
The Year of the Dragon will start on January 23, 2012 and end on February 9, 2013
The dates for the Chinese Horoscope follows the lunar calendar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar and the Chinese New Year falls between January and February. Just like the Western Zodiac, the Chinese have 12 signs that follow in the same order. However, the Chinese name the actual year after one of twelve animal signs.
These Chinese Astrology signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Similar to western Astrology, every Chinese Birth Sign has a particular character and qualities. People born in a specific year are believed to take on the character and qualities of the animal after which the year is named.
The Dragon is the fifth sign in the Chinese Horoscope and signifies luck. According to Chinese tradition, babies born in the Year of the Dragon are high-spirited and fearless, destined for success. Therefore it
could mean a bumper crop of babies born to Chinese mothers over the next 12 months.
Chinese dragon 龍http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_dragon
龙 (中文)
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BE%8D
I love to draw dragons:
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| Received a honorable mention on San Francisco Bay Guardian, 1982 |
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| To be published on Orinda News |
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| Greeting Card 1987 |
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| Year of the dragon 2000 |
十二生肖的故事Chinese Zodiac History/ Story
The legend says that long long time ago the supreme commander of the universe, Jade Emperor, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Emperor invited all animals to participate in a race. The prize for the first 12 animals to cross the Yellow River would appear on the Chinese Zodiac calendar in the order in which they completed the Great Race.
The first animal to make it across the finish line was the rat. It seemed impossible that such a small animal would outrun the rest of the animals who were considerably larger, more powerful and faster.
The rumor is the sneaky rat grabbed an opportunity and hitched a ride on the back of the buffalo, crossed the Yellow River than jumped off ahead of the buffalo and sprinted across the finish line and became the champion of the race while the buffalo and the rest of the animals were catching their breath after the strenuous river crossing.
The buffalo came in second, the tiger came in third, followed by the rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and finally, the pig. They became The 12 animals that appear on the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
The first animal to make it across the finish line was the rat. It seemed impossible that such a small animal would outrun the rest of the animals who were considerably larger, more powerful and faster.
The rumor is the sneaky rat grabbed an opportunity and hitched a ride on the back of the buffalo, crossed the Yellow River than jumped off ahead of the buffalo and sprinted across the finish line and became the champion of the race while the buffalo and the rest of the animals were catching their breath after the strenuous river crossing.
The buffalo came in second, the tiger came in third, followed by the rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and finally, the pig. They became The 12 animals that appear on the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
So, why isn't the cat one of the twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac? 那麼，為什麼貓沒有列在中國十二生肖動物之一呢？
Nevertheless, the cat had great concerns about crossing the river because of her fear of the water but the rat reassured her that he would help by sharing the life vest he would bring for the race.
When the race started, all animals tried their hardest to outrun one another by fighting, pushing, sprinting and trampling toward the finish line. The rat and the cat started out fast, running side by side as a team but soon they were noticing other animals were catching up with them. They realized that running as a team might slow each other down so they decided to split but still look after each other if they could.
When the rat saw the buffalo was gaining speed and soon would be passing by, in a split second, he jumped on, grabbed the back hair of the buffalo and threw the life jacket back to the cat and shouted:"Good luck, see you at the other side of the river!"
The cat caught the life jacket, wrapped it around the waist and raced to the bank of the river. She paused, pulled out the jacket which was labeled "R", COOL, "regular size", she thought. But when she tried to put it on, it was was too small to wear and noticed on the label, in small print, "R" is for rats.
MEOWWWWWWWW!
Without the life jacket, the cat dared not cross the river so she lost.
The cat , of course, was furious so the rat and the cat became enemy.
That is why the cat is not one of the twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac and why cats have been catching rats ever since.
The magic number of 12
Thousands of years after the race, similar traditions and formulas of the Great Race have been widely adapted by the entertainment world. One example is American Idol; 12 contestants compete for the final title, to be the American Idol. The only difference is that only one person takes the title instead of 12 winners generously allowed by the Jade Emperor. One must think, if the first place winner of the Great Race was the rat, then the winner of American Idol is...?
---------------------------------馬英久連任成功 People in Taiwan reelected President Ma Ying-Jeou for the second term
While we are welcoming the arrival of the Chinese New Year, don't forget that Taiwan has just elected its president and the current president Ma Ying-Jeou was reelected for the next four year turn. See http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/14/us-taiwan-election-idUSTRE80D07620120114
Just like people in the US are enduring the mud slinging among candidates for the upcoming elections, people in Taiwan went through the same but they are feeling relieved for the closure of the nasty events and are able to resume their tranquil lives and most important, celebrating the New Year:
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| SIGH, the elections are finally over. WE can start cleaning the mess made by the politicians and throw out the garbage. |
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| The elections are finally over and we can start celebrating the Chinese New Year. |
