Happy Chinese New Year! The Year of the Rat

On January 25^th, the Chinese will celebrate the Spring Festival, or what is commonly known as the Chinese New Year. This year is the Year of the Metal Rat.

The celebration of the Chinese New Year lasts for fifteen days and is divided into three parts: The Little Year, the Spring Festival, and the Lantern Festival. The New Year celebrations starts off with preparations made as early as January 17^th until the New Year’s Eve. Then the celebration of the Spring Festival runs from January 25^th to February 4^th. Lastly, the Lantern Festival is celebrated starting on the 4^th of February and usually ends on the 8^th of February, when the Lantern Festival happens.

Metal Rat

The previous years of the Rat are 1924, 1936 ,1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020. The rat is considered to be the first of the Chinese zodiac signs and represents the start of a new day. Rats are said to symbolize wealth and abundance. For people who were born under this zodiac sign, their lucky colors are blue, gold and green and the lucky numbers are 2 and 3.

Traditionally, a zodiac’s year is considered the most unfortunate, but career wise, the year 2020 will be a good year for the Rat. The year will not be lucky in terms of relationships and health. The Rat should take advantage of the lucky months which are on March, September and November and be extra careful during the most unlucky ones – April, July and October.

What to Expect

Good fortune will definitely smile on those who know what to avoid during the Spring Festival. Sweeping is still allowed before the New Year but is a no-no on the day itself. If you absolutely have to, sweep inwards in order not to sweep away good luck. Avoid saying negative words and breaking glass or ceramics. Do not use scissors or other sharp tools like knives as these might cut the flow of wealth and prosperity into the home.

Chinese New Year Food

The menu for the most important occasion of the year is carefully planned and meticulously prepared because food is one of the things that the Chinese take pride in. According to Chinese tradition, the food served will bring good luck, good health, and wealth to the family that partakes of it.

Noodles represent long life. The consumption of dumplings symbolizes the welcoming of the new and the abandoning of the old. Fish is a common fare in the once-a-year occasion as it symbolizes wealth and abundance.

Chinese New Year Décor

The usual motif for Chinese New Year is a bright, loud red. Aside from it representing happiness and good fortune, it also represents the firecrackers that sent the legendary terrible monster Nian away. As the legend goes, Nian was the monster who terrorized villages every year, so people had to hide and hold feasts during the time that Nian arrived to attack. One day, a youth thought of a brilliant idea to scare the monster away for good with firecrackers.

One of the many ways you could appreciate the richness of Chinese culture is through the celebration of the Chinese New Year. This is where you can see that Chinese traditions and beliefs that are centuries old still persist today as the older generations pass on these elements of culture to the younger ones.

One thing that you cannot gain by sheer luck, however, is health. You need to work on it to get it, starting with restful sleep. Using a pillow made from quality bamboo materials can take care of this. The Bamboo Pillow gives you many benefits: a softer than cotton material, antibacterial and antimicrobial qualities, moisture wicking capabilities, thermoregulating and antiallergenic properties, and durability so you can enjoy these benefits for a long time.

Why not use the Chinese New Year as an excuse to give yourself and your loved ones the gift of good health through a good night’s rest while enjoying other benefits as well? Come and shop at The Bamboo Pillow now!