2013 Year of the Water Snake February 9, 2013 17:13 3 Comments

Happy New Year -- again! February 10th marks the start of the Lunar New Year as well as the Year of the Snake (specifically the Water Snake). As the most significant holiday in China, the Lunar New Year is like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year rolled up into one giant celebration. Personally, this has always been one of my favorite holidays as it always brings back childhood memories of the smell of fresh cut flowers, red envelopes filled with "lucky money", big family dinners, and vibrant, lively festivals with lion dancing and firecrackers. Chinese culture has always been a great source of inspiration for my work. The Snake is the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animal signs that include the Rat (or Mouse), Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Horse, Sheep (or Goat), Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Don't know what zodiac sign you are? Look it up on this handy little chart I created here. According to Chinese tradition, a person’s birth sign has a profound influence on personality and destiny. Those born under this sign are said to be charming, clever, analytical, and shrewd. Fired with intense determination, they hate to fail at anything and are determined to achieve their goals. Snakes tend to gravitate toward the finer things in life and so are sometimes deemed materialistic. Quick learners, lead by wisdom and intuition, Snakes will find that success comes easily to them. Famous Snakes include Alfred Nobel, Pablo Picasso, Bob Dylan, Audrey Hepburn, Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, John F. Kennedy, and J. K. Rowling. Wishing you a ssssssssuper year! May the Year of the Snake bring good fortune to you all! xo Joyce