Chinese Diner Goes Bang Bang On The Lunar New Year

As Chinese New Year quickly descend upon Las Vegas in 2015, Kung Fu Restaurant will once again be ushering in the Lunar New Year with a big Bang.  The ceremony will be traditionally performed by the Lohan School of Shaolin as they have been now for well over 10 years.  Specifically, the special students studying Shaolin Kung Fu techniques will be demonstrating their prowess at the restaurant between the hour of 12:00pm to 12:30pm Thursday February 19, 2015.  The public, especially the patrons of Kung Fu Thai & Chinese Restaurant are welcome to view the show.

The Lunar New Year, commonly known throughout the world as “Chinese New Year” is celebrated by people of Chinese Descent in every country keeping with traditions, myths and facts.  Since the 1950s, the celebrations have been flourishing outside of China, to throughout the world especially in countries with high percentage of Chinese ancestry which includes; Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Canada, including here in the United States of America.  

Traditional Chinese Lion dance are performed to drive out everything evil at the place of the act.  The belief, legend, and or folklore is that the loud noise of the drums, gongs, and chants along with dancing lions creates a inhospitable environment for any kind of bad spirits occupying the premise, which in turns drives them away.  In addition, the spectators observing the ceremony will also receive the cleanse.

Chinese New Year traditionally last 15 days, at the end launching the lantern festival, the most important festival in China.  Laterns are mostly red in color, which symbolizes good fortunes, and prosperity in the New Year.  Lighting the laterns symbolizes the release of and letting go of all the bad that happened in the past year, and welcoming the New, a clean slate, a new beginning so to speak.  In Ancient China, the Lunar New Year is also known as the Spring Festival, marking an end to winter, and the start of Spring, or new Harvest.

If we could celebrate Christmas and New Year on one day, and have that day last for two weeks, we would have Chinese New Year.  That is what the Lunar New Year celebrations feels like to the Chinese People.  It is the most important holiday in China.  As the Color Red come to symbolize Christmas, and Santa Claus, it has also come to symbolize happiness, to the Chinese people.  As the Western world wrap Christmas presents mostly in red dominated paper, the Chinese also hand out red envelopes to younger family members filled with money as lucky gifts to start out the new year.  As it is in the states during Christmas Eve, where almost everything comes to a stop, that is also the case in China, and Chinese dominated countries, everything stops there during the Eve of Chinese New Year, Chinese businesses, stores, factories, offices close, and everyone goes back home to see their families and elders, for as long as two weeks.

As the Chinese celebrates the Lunar New Year, the day also welcomes a new sign to the world of Chinese Astrology.  This February 19, 2015, we are welcoming the Year of the Sheep, or Goat depending on the translation.  The sheep or goat is one of twelve animal signs in the Chinese animal zodiac.   If this sounds familiar, it should, since in western astrology the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac comprises of:

          Aries             21 March thru 20 April

          Taurus           21 April thru 21 May

          Gemini          22 May thru 21 June

          Cancer         22 June thru 22 July

          Leo               23 July thru 23 August

          Virgo            24 August thru 22 September

          Libra             23 September thru 23 October

          Scorpio         24 October thru 22 November

          Sagittarius    23 November thru 21 December

          Capricorn      22 December thru 20 January

          Aquarius       21 January thru 18 February

          Pisces          19 February thru 20 March

These twelve sun signs are the ones you see every day in newspapers and online.  Basically it is where the Sun is, relative to the constellations or stars on the day when you were born, hatched, appeared from your mothers womb.

As with western astrology, Chinese astrologers goes one step further, rather than asking the question of how something has occurred with a person or individual based on ones personality and or character, Chinese astrologers ask the question;  Why?, and how does the symbolic animal in the Zodiac affect an individual’s character and or personality.  Although Western astrology is based on facts, and Chinese astrology is based more on intuition, nonetheless they are time tested intuition dating as far back as over four thousand years.  See for yourself on the following tables.  Here’s how.

1. Find your animal sign by looking up the year and day that you were born.
2. Then look up the basic attributes that make up the animal associated with your birthday.
3. And, Be Honest with yourself.
4. Use the animal sign and attributes as a foundation as you look up your daily horoscope.

Animal Signs and Attributes

Rat or Mouse                   Intelligent, practical, quick, lively, self-controlled

Ox Buffalo or Bull             reliable, purposeful, hardworking, resolute, stubborn

Tiger                                 daring, passionate, charming, persuasive, insecure

Rabbit or Hare                 Intuitive and Sensitive, odd, eccentric, mystical, nonconformist

Dragon                             Independent, Successful, party animal, dramatic, temper-mental

Snake                               Sophisticated, Mysterious, logical, intuitive, clever

Horse                                Friendly, Hardworking, energetic, enthusiastic, life of the party

Goat or Sheep                 Sexy, Adaptable, peace and quiet, determined, compassionate

Monkey                            Quick-witted, entertaining, inquisitive, active

Rooster                            Honest, Protective, sociable, witty, entertaining

Dog                                  Loyal, faithful, trustworthy, ready to help, generous, kind

Pig or Boar                      Eager, Sensual, gullible, friendly, emotional, easy going, power and aggression

Chinese Zodiac Year Table Since 1900

Rat               31 January 1900 thru 18 February 1901

Ox                19 February 1901 thru 7 February 1902

Tiger             08 February 1902 thru 28 January 1903

Rabbit           29 January 1903 thru 15 February 1904

Dragon         16 February 1904 thru 03 February 1905

Snake           04 February 1905 thru 24 January 1906

Horse            25 January 1906 thru 12 February 1907

Goat             13 February 1907 thru 1 February 1908

Monkey        2 February 1908 thru 21 January 1909

Rooster        22 January 1909 thru 9 February 1910

Dog              10 February 1910 thru 29 January 1911

Pig               30 January 1911 thru 17 February 1912

Rat               18 February 1912 thru 5 February 1913

Ox                6 February 1913 thru 25 January 1914

Tiger             26 January 1914 thru 13 February 1915

Rabbit           14 February 1915 thru 2 February 1916

Dragon         3 February 1916 thru 22 January 1917

Snake           23 January 1917 thru 10 February 1918

Horse            11 February 1918 thru 31 January 1919

Goat             1 February 1919 thru 19 February 1920

Monkey        20 February 1920 thru 7 February 1921

Rooster        8 February 1921 thru 27 January 1922

Dog              28 January 1922 thru 15 February 1923

Pig               16 February 1923 thru 4 February 1924

Rat               5 February 1924 thru 23 January 1925

Ox                24 January 1925 thru February 1926

Tiger             13 February 1926 thru 1 February 1927

Rabbit           2 February 1927 thru 22 January 1928

Dragon         23 January 1928 thru 9 February 1929

Snake           10 February 1929 thru 29 January 1930

Horse            30 January 1930 thru 16 February 1931

Goat             17 February 1931 thru 5 February 1932

Monkey        6 February 1932 thru 25 January 1933

Rooster        26 January 1933 thru 13 February 1934

Dog              14 February 1934 thru 3 February 1935

Pig               4 February 1935 thru 23 January 1936

Rat               24 January 1936 thru 10 February 1937

Ox                11 February 1937 thru 30 January 1938

Tiger             31 January 1938 thru 18 February 1939

Rabbit           19 February 1939 thru 7 February 1940

Dragon         8 February 1940 thru 26 January 1941

Snake           27 January 1941 thru 14 February 1942

Horse           15 February 1942 thru 4 February 1943

Goat             5 February 1943 thru 24 January 1944

Monkey        25 January 1944 thru 12 February 1945

Rooster        13 February 1945 thru 1 February 1946

Dog              2 February 1946 thru 21 January 1947

Pig               22 January 1947 thru 9 February 1948

Rat               10 February 1948 thru 28 January 1949

Ox               29 January 1949 thru 16 February 1950

Tiger             17 February 1950 thru 5 February 1951

Rabbit           6 February 1951 thru 26 January 1952

Dragon         27 January 1952 thru 13 February 1953

Snake           14 February 1953 thru 2 February 1954

Horse              3 February 1954 thru 23 January 1955

Goat             24 January 1955 thru 11 February 1956

Monkey        12 February 1956 thru 30 January 1957

Rooster        31 January 1957 thru 17 February 1958

Dog              18 February 1958 thru 7 February 1959

Pig               8 February 1959 thru 27 January 1960

Rat               28 January 1960 thru 14 February 1961

Ox                15 February 1961 thru 4 February 1962

Tiger             5 February 1962 thru 24 January 1963

Rabbit           25 January 1963 thru 12 February 1964

Dragon         13 February 1964 thru 1 February 1965

Snake           2 February 1965 thru 20 January 1966

Horse           21 January 1966 thru 8 February 1967

Goat             9 February 1967 thru 29 January 1968

Monkey        30 January 1968 thru 16 February 1969

Rooster        17 February 1969 thru 5 February 1970

Dog              6 February 1970 thru 26 January 1971

Pig               27 January 1971 thru 14 February 1972

Rat               15 February 1972 thru 2 February 1973

Ox                3 February 1973 thru 22 January 1974

Tiger             23 January 1974 thru 10 February 1975

Rabbit           11 February 1975 thru 30 January 1976

Dragon         31 January 1976 thru 17 February 1977

Snake           18 February 1977 thru 6 February 1978

Horse              7 February 1978 thru 27 January 1979

Goat             28 January 1979 thru 15 February 1980

Monkey        16 February 1980 thru 4 February 1981

Rooster        5 February 1981 thru 24 January 1982

Dog              25 January 1982 thru 12 February 1983

Pig               13 February 1983 thru 1 February 1984

Rat               2 February 1984 thru 19 February 1985

Ox                20 February 1985 thru 8 February 1986

Tiger             9 February 1986 thru 28 January 1987

Rabbit           29 January 1987 thru 16 February 1988

Dragon         17 February 1988 thru 5 February 1989

Snake           6 February 1989 thru 26 January 1990

Horse            27 January 1990 thru 14 February 1991

Goat             15 February 1991 thru 3 February 1992

Monkey        4 February 1992 thru 22 January 1993

Rooster        23 January 1993 thru 9 February 1994

Dog              10 February 1994 thru 30 January 1995

Pig               31 January 1995 thru 18 February 1996

Rat               19 February 1996 thru 6 February 1997

Ox                7 February 1997 thru 27 January 1998

Tiger             28 January 1998 thru 15 February 1999

Rabbit           16 February 1999 thru 4 February 2000

Dragon         5 February 2000 thru 23 January 2001

Snake           24 January 2001 thru 11 February 2002

Horse            12 February 2002 thru 31 January 2003

Goat             1 February 2003 thru 21 January 2004

Monkey        22 January 2004 thru 8 February 2005

Rooster        9 February 2005 thru 28 January 2006

Dog              29 January 2006 thru 17 February 2007

Pig               18 February 2007 thru 6 February 2008

Rat               7 February 2008 thru 25 January 2009

Ox                26 January 2009 thru 13 February 2010

Tiger             14 February 2010 thru 2 February 2011

Rabbit           3 February 2011 thru 22 January 2012

Dragon         23 January 2012 thru 9 February 2013

Snake           10 February 2013 thru 30 January 2014

Horse            31 January 2014 thru 18 February 2015

Sheep/Goat  19 February 2015 thru 07 February 2016

Monkey        08 February 2016 thru 27 January 2017

Rooster        28 January 2017 thru 15 February 2018

Dog              16 February 2018 thru