Happy New Year!
For almost all of Asia, the Lunar New Year celebration is quite literally the biggest party of the year. It honors the return of spring and the promise of renewal from the cyclical rise of yang. This two week extravaganza is full of colorful snacks, fresh fruits, fun foods, and a wild array of fancy beverages. While some love the yummy grub, others stick around for the red envelopes filled with lucky sums of money. Then of course you've got all the fireworks too. In short, there's something fun for everyone to enjoy!
Festivities aside, the real treasure of this time is being together with family and friends. Every taxi, tram, bus, shuttle, train, and airplane is filled to the gills with roving travelers taking the trek back to their hometowns to touch the earth of their ancestral place of birth. Fun fact, this is, by far, the largest mammalian migration in the world - and it happens each and every year for Chinese New Year. Isn't that wild?
Of all the traveling and treats, there's one tradition that should never be overlooked - thanking your teacher. Maybe not so much for academics, but for sure if you're pursuing the classical arts. From this view, your teachers are just as important as your parents - if not more! Sure, your parents gave you life, but your teacher brings you to your potential. In that regard, you better be sure to stuff that red envelope extra fat for Shifu. *wink wink*
✧ Celebrate the Year of the Snake ✧
Get with Family: Connect with the ones that you love.
Eat Lots of Food: Dumplings, noodles, fresh fish, and fowl.
Honor your Shifu: If you can't visit, at least call or write.
Give Gifts: Red envelopes filled with cash is customary.
Health, Love, Happiness, Success, Prosperity,
and a Whole Lot of Money!
🍊💥 🧨 🧧 🐍 New Year Superstitions 🐍 🧧 🧨💥 🍊
Don't Argue, Cry, or Gossip: Don't start the year off stinky!
Don't Cut your Hair: It's like cutting fresh flowers off of a tree.
Don't Wear White: That's the color you'd wear at a funeral.
Don't Wear Black: You want to be bright so luck can find you.
Don't Count: It means you're looking through the lens of scarcity.
Don't Watch the Clock: Pay attention to the moment, not the time.
Don't Use Knives or Scissors: It's like severing relationships.
Don't Dust or Sweep: You don't want to brush away good luck.
Contents
・Shifu Says: A brief word from our head teacher, Shifu David Wei.
・The Five Elements: This week, we're talking about our feet!
・Happy New Year: We've got three ways to play! Join the fun!
・The Daoist Calendar: Special holidays and how to observe them.
・Along the Way: Tale of two Daoist brothers and their angry master.
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