Happy Chinese New Year and Welcome Year of the Horse!
2014 was my third New Year in Australia and second in Sydney. Sydney has a lot of events taking place from the 24th of Jan to the 9th of February to welcome in the horse. The end of the festival concluded with the Twilight Parade down George Street and into China Town which I attended.
2014 is the Year of the Wooden Horse. Wooden Horses have a better ability to make decisions, they are strong and stable. Even if you are not a Wooden Horse, I feel it is better to make a decision then to umm and ahhh about something for weeks and months.
Were you born in the Year of the Horse? Below are the years:
1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
Below are some of the characteristics of those born in Year of the Horse:
- Kind
- Clever
- Animated
- Energetic
- Talk a lot
- Cheerful
- Perceptive
- Talented
- Love to be in the centre of a crowd
- Popular among friends
- Active at work
Do you match any of these characteristics? What year of the animal are you?
A few more fun facts about Year of the Horse:
- The lucky colour for the Year of the Horse is green.
- Horse lucky numbers are 3, 4, 9
- Horse lucky flowers are giant taro, jasmine
- The most compatible signs for the Horse are: Tiger, Sheep or Dog
- Apparently the most incompatible signs for the Horse are: Rat, Ox, Rabbit or Horse
- Most compatible careers for the Horse:
- Publicist, sales representative, journalist, language instructor, translator, bartender, performer, tour operator, librarian or pilot.
(source: http://www.sydneychinesenewyear.com/2014-year-horse/)
Next year, make sure you take part in some of the activities organised to celebrate the New Year including:
Chinese New Year Markets
This year the markets were on in Belmore Park from the 24th – 26th of January and had a range of delicious dishes for visitors. There was also a cooking demonstration at the Chinese New Year AYAM™ Kitchen. It is a day out for all the family with live performances, martial arts and karaoke competitions.
Dragon Boat Races
The boat races take place every year at Cockly Bay. The origin was to commemorate a great warrior poet called Qu Yuan. More than 2,000 years ago, Qu committed suicide in the river Mi Lo in protest against the political corruption of that day. Now dragon boar racing is a large part of Chinese culture.
Family Fun
Chinese New Year is for all the family. There are many activities that children can be involved with. One of Australia’s oldest carousels is at Palm Grove and is a fun little ride for kids (or adults who are young at heart). There were also Origami workshops which were free (but limited spaces for each session). Children learned how to make different characters.
What are your plans for 2014? Share them on being30.com
