Happy New Year Cebu!
Some people welcome the year 2006 with a bang, literally! The loudest the bang, the better, the merrier!
Welcome to the year of Fire Dog!
But no. We have just celebrated New Year based on the Gregorian calendar, not on a Chinese calendar.We’re not supposed to welcome yet the Year of the Fire Dog until January 29 because we’re still in the Year of the Wood Rooster.
According to the Chinese calendar, the new year 2006 in their lunisolar calendar doesn’t start on January 1, but on January 29 yet. That’s why we didn’t hear our Chinese bretherens greeted each other ‘Kung hei fat choi.’
Most people around the world usher in the brand new year with festivities and revelries a few hours before the clock strikes at 12:00 midnight. In Catholic world midnight masses are celebrated one hour before the new year sets in. The celebration is usually capped off with the spectacular display of fireworks or, in some cultures, a cacophony of noises meant to ward off bad luck born from the previous year.
Unlike the Chinese calendar, Christians don’t have zodiac calendar to go with their lunar calendar. So we don’t have a zodiac animal for the year. It is not known however why do people, especially non-Chinese, relate Christian new year with the lunisolar new year by acknowledging a zodiac animal for each year when in fact it only occurs in the Chinese calendar.
Happy New Year!
January 4th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
How was your New year? I’m sure it was loud and smoky. I missed how we welcomed the new year (Phil style).
We had a quiet one here with friends and in-law.
January 4th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
thanks hazel!
yea, twas loud and smoky. though we didn’t have fireworks because i can’t stand the smell of the gunpowder. but we enjoyed the spectacular fireworks display that lit the cebu city sky.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY OUT THERE!