Year of the Sheep 2015 February 18, 2015 23:12 1 Comment

Happy New Year...again! February 19th marks the start of the Lunar New Year as well as the Year of the Sheep. It's also sometimes known as Year of the Goat but I choose Sheep because they are fluffier and cuter to me!  Although the holiday is also known as Chinese New Year, the Chinese aren't the only ones who observe it. The holiday is also celebrated in other Asian countries including Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, and Taiwan. The Lunar New Year is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years rolled up into one giant celebration! For the Chinese in particular, the Lunar New Year is celebrated with big family dinners, the exchange of "lucky money" contained in red envelopes, and vibrant, lively festivals with lion dancing and firecrackers.

The lunar calendar is based upon the cycles of the moon and has 12 animals signs, one to represent each year of the cycle. The Sheep is the eighth sign of the Chinese Zodiac with the others being the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Don't know what zodiac sign you are? Look it up on this fun printable color sheet and place mat I created here!

According to Chinese tradition, a person’s birth sign has a profound influence on personality and destiny. People born in the year of Sheep are tender, creative, clever, determined, and amicable. They have special sensitivity to art and beauty and are brimming with a strong sense of kindheartedness and justice. Sheep year people are also often worriers who can be moody, indecisive, and over-sensitive. Notable people born in the Year of the Sheep include Bill Gates, Mark Twain, Nicole Kidman, Mick Jagger, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Michelangelo, Robert De Niro, and Jane Austen.

I will be celebrating by having a special dinner with Husband Guy consisting of lucky foods to eat during the New Year such as whole fish for abundance, noodles for long life, and dumplings for prosperity. Do you celebrate the Lunar New Year? If so, how do you like to celebrate?

To celebrate here at Wanart, all orders over $10 placed on the website for the rest of February will receive FREE SHIPPING! (U.S. orders only.)