Chuk Mung Nam Moi or Gung Hay Fat Choy or for the English speaker Happy New Year!  The Chinese calendar, which resets each year in late January to mid-February, is one of the  most ancient calendars in the world. According to legend, the Chinese emperor  some 4,000 years ago held a race to figure out the sequence of animals in the  12-year cycle of his new calendar. The rat came in first by hitching a ride on  the ox’s nose and jumping over the finish line at the last possible moment  (crafty!). The rabbit was fourth, so we are currently in year number four in the  cycle.  Chinese astrologers are projecting “quiet, positive and inspiring” things to come along with the Rabbit.  Rabbit years are generally an  excellent time for arts, culture, world diplomacy and focusing on the family, which sounds good to us. But let’s get to the real deal, friends. What will our love lives look like for the rest of the year? In a word: sweet. The Year of the Rabbit is all about sensitivity and letting your love life unfold with patience.

As I lack patience this will be a great year for me to work on an area of improvement and hopefully the wise rabbit will rub off on me. Chinese New Year is one of the most important festival’s of the year for Asia.  In my words it can be summed up as a focus on family, culture and renewed hope and new beginning for a prosperous life, crop, job, family, etc.  So take some time today to celebrate your family, culture and new beginnings!