Last Saturday was the the beginning of the 3rd Annual Lunar New Year Celebration and this going to be a two weeks celebration from February 17th until March 4th. This celebration known to many as Chinese New Year. This year they celebrate the 2018 Year of the Earth Dog! Squirrel hill and the Asian Pacific American community of Greater Pittsburgh have come together to honor the Lunar New Year with events that cultivate an appreciation of Asian arts & crafts and authentic cuisine, as well as to promote a deeper understanding of the East Asian cultural diversity. Philippine is one of the Asian country so we take part of that said event. This coming weekend is a continuation the the Lunar New Year celebration and there’s going to be a parade at squirrel hill, so if you are in the area next week, then you would not want to miss it out.
I just read an interesting story of Lunar New Year and the story behind the making of the Chinese zodiac of 12 animals. This story was found in the program from last week, here it goes.
The Jade Emperor wanted to create a way to organize time, so decided to hold a race crossing a river. He would honor the first twelve animals to finish the race with a year each in the zodiac. The rat, which could not swim very well, asked the ox to carry him across. The kind-hearted ox agreed, and as soon as land within the sight, the rat jumped off ox’s back and was the first to make it across the river, followed by the ox and then the tiger. Next came rabbit. The dragon came 5th, after stopping along its way to help some creatures below. The horse almost came in 6th but was scared by the snake, who took its spot. The monkey, the ram, and the rooster all made their way across the river together on a raft. They crossed he finish at the same time but agreed to give the ram the 8th spot, the monkey the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.
The dog was the fastest swimmer but had stopped top play in the water, thus coming in at 11th. In 12th, and the last place, was the boar, who stopped along the way to eat and take a nap. Quiet a funny story for the dog huh. Are you born on a year of the dog? If so well, hear this out and see if the dog’s characteristic suits you.
Meanwhile, this year, 4716 on the Chinese calendar, is the Year of the Earth Dog. In the West, dogs are often seen as loyal, friendly, and loving. Likewise in the Chinese zodiac, people born in the Year of the Dog are steadfast, honest, kind, cautious, and courageous. They are good-natured, get along well with others, and keen to help much like “man’s best friend.”
Horoscope- People who are born in the year of the dog can expect ups and downs in their luck this year. Lucky numbers for people born in the year of the dog are 3, 4, and 9; lucky flowers are rose, oncidium, cymbidium, and orchids, and the lucky colors are green, red and purple. For those not born in the year of the dog, this year should be auspicious and a good year to embark on new projects.
