Well, here it is February — not one of my favorite months. Weather is blah, and there aren’t even any good holidays to cheer things up. There’s of course Valentine’s Day, but lately it’s become a real hassle to go out on Valentine’s Day — even here in Shepherdstown. We usually go out the day before or the day after and just pretend it’s Valentine’s Day. The other holidays are pretty ho-hum: Lame Duck Day, Kite Flying Day, Reading in the Bathtub Day, Organ Donor Day, Get a New Name Day, Do a Grouch a Favor Day, and of course the Random Acts of Kindness Day. Now honestly, do you see anything to get excited about in that list?
Of course this year Chinese New Year falls in February (it always occurs in January or February.) This year because it falls on a Sunday, it will be celebrated both on Sunday and Monday. The year of the Snake begins on February 10, 2013 and ends on January 30, 2014. Since the Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the years aren’t 365 days — or any set length. The Chinese New Year celebration takes place over two weeks. The Lantern Festival (Chap Goh Mei) on the fifteenth day brings an end to the New Year season. In China, cities have spectacular lantern displays and it’s an important time for families to gather and end the Chinese New Year celebrations with a big meal and more fireworks.
Since I started out talking about February — and most people usually associate Valentine’s Day with February, and then I got off on Chinese New Year, I suppose I should mention Chinese Valentine’s Day. Probably a lot of people don’t know about Chinese Valentine’s Day, but they have one and it’s a lot easier to get reservations in a restaurant than on the one we celebrate this month. This year, Chinese Valentine’s Day falls on August 13 — which just happens to be my Dad’s birthday and the date that myself and Claire went on our first official date. Chinese Valentine’s Day is also called the Festival of the Double Sevens or the Seven Sisters Festival. The date of Chinese Valentine’s Day is the seventh day of the seventh Chinese lunar month — so again, it’s not the same date every year.
As I noted earlier, this is the Chinese Year of the Snake. If you believe in Chinese astrology, you may hear it referred to as the year of the Water Snake, or Black Snake or even Black Water Snake.
Since we’re on the subject, Claire was born in the Year of the Dog and I was born in the Year of the Tiger. According to Chinese astrology, we are “compatible.” That, of course, is good to know. I know you’re interested, so I checked what the Chinese 2013 year has in store for us — here’s what the Snake is offering up this year:
“In 2013, the Dog will enjoy success and considerable progress on all fronts. However, she must make time to enjoy her friends, family and leisure pursuits in order to benefit from all that the Year of the Snake has to offer her.”
and for me….
“Most Tigers will find the Year of the Snake very pleasant, but with a slower pace that may frustrate some. They would do well to make the most of this, enjoying pastimes, travel and taking time to stop and smell the roses along the way.”
Sounds like the Year of the Snake is the Year of Me for both of us. Happy New Year — and Valentine’s Day.
—30—
Let’s both take time to enjoy each other, friends, family and our favorite pastimes. This year of you – has been pretty good so far!