Happy Chinese New Year of the Sheep!
Four years ago I was in Hongkong during Chinese New Year when the start of the Year of the Rabbit was celebrated. Although Hongkong was overcrowed with locals, expats and tourists in honour of this occasion, it has been amazing to experience the festivities in an East Asia and I wish I could now be in China or in a country where Chinese New Year is celebrated. My stay in Hongkong in 2011 is the reason why I wrote posts for Chinese New Year last year and the year before, ever since establishing this blog in October 2012.
Decoration in Hongkong for Chinese New Year
Children are dressed up for Chinese New Year
Decoration in Hongkong for Chinese New Year at night
Everywhere Chinese New Year is celebrated with rituals and performances. In Beijing every year on the first day of Chinese New Year an ancient royal ceremony is rolling out of the Temple of Heaven to worship the heaven. This is a performance to recite the ancient royal rituals in Qing Dynasty.
Yesterday the Year of the Sheep respectively the Year of the Goat has started. The chinese word “Yang” can mean both sheep and goat. Due to the Chinese Horoscope you are a Sheep or Goat when you were born in 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 and 2015. If you are born in January or February, you should take a look in the moon calendar because then you might still be born in the Year of the Horse.
Sheeps at the Animal Bazaar – “Mal Bazaar” – in Kashgar, Northwest China
Sheeps respectively Goats are considered to be gentle, mild-mannered, shy, stable, sympathetic and amicable with a strong sense of kindheartness and justice.
When you are Sheep respectively Goat your love compatibility is best with Rabbits, Horses or Pigs while it is worst with people who were born in the Years of the Ox, the Dragon, the Snake or the Dog.
Your lucky numbers 2 and 7, your lucky flowers are carnation and primrose.
When I was in China in 2013 I was told that it is most important to wear red underwear or alternatively red socks in the year of your chinese zodiac to keep all evil away from you and that’s what the correspondent of the newspaper I work for also wrote a few years ago. Superstition or not, it probably doesn’t hurt to have at least a few red pieces of underwear in your wardrobe.
I was also in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year in 2011 and I have a picture next to the flower blossoms in your picture! How funny!!
I’m a sheep and I bought a red bracelet with a sheep on to give me good luck for the new year. Happy New Year!!
What a funny coincidence, Sophie, so we almost met in Hongkong in 2011. Happy Chinese New Year of the Sheep to you. I am born in a Snake year and my love for China really started during my second and third visit to the Middle Kingdom in April and October 2013 during a Snake year. I believe that this means something. Ever since I returned two more times and I am planning to go back this March. Thank you so much for your comment and for stopping by.
[…] Today is the start of the year of the monkey. The monkey is the ninth of the animals of the Chinese zodiac. You are a monkey when you were born in 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992 or 2004. Take a look at this calendar if your birthday was in one of these years between the 21st January and the 20th February. Then you could still be born in the year of the sheep or goat. […]