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COVER
STORY
I n t h e
first five days of
the New Year,
people ate long
noodles to sym-
bolise long life.
On the 15th and
final day of the
New Year, round
dumplings shaped
like the full moon
were shared as a sign
of the family unit.
Evolution
The Western-style Gregorian
calendar arrived in China with Jesuit
missionaries in 1582. It began to be used
by the general population by 1912, and
New Year’s Day was officially recognised
as January 1. In 1949, under the rule of
Chinese Communist Party leader Mao
Zedong, the government forbade the
celebration of the traditional Chinese
New Year and followed the Gregorian
calendar in its dealings with the West.
Chinese leaders, however, were more
willing to accept the Chinese tradition
by the end of the 20th century. In 1996,
China instituted a weeklong vacation
during the holiday–now called Spring
Festival–giving people the opportunity to
travel home and to celebrate the new year.
Monkey business
The year 2016 is the year of the Red
Monkey . The Chinese name of 2016 in
the Chinese Horoscope calendar is .
The Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood,
Fire and Earth) are applied in the Chinese
calendar. is part of the Fire group and
the colour of Fire is connected to Red. is
the calendar character which corresponds
to Monkey. Put all these factors together
and you get 2016 as the year of the Red
Fire Monkey.
Those born in the years 1920, 1932,
1944, 1956,
1968, 1980,
1992 , 2004
and 2016 are
Monkeys. The
Mo n k e y i s
characterised
by a clever and
creat ive mind
and i s a lways
interested in learning
and exper iencing
new things. This thirst
for knowledge can be seen
in the Monkey’s varied and,
sometimes, impulsive interests.
They quite often shun routine
and they are not above finding trouble
in mischievous actions. Monkeys are
naturally quite charming and witty, which
contributes to their innate confidence.
As the Monkey is one of the most self-
interested signs, they may have difficulty
understanding others and showing
empathy. The irony here is that members
of the Monkey sign can be sensitive at
times, especially when criticised.
There is always a good reason for their
actions and this reason is more often than
not deliveredwith a total and unshakeable
belief in themselves. As such, they often
feel that they know best and will not be
discouraged with whatever course of
action that they are engaged in. Though
they have a complete lack of impartiality,
this is balanced up with good intellectual
skills and memories. Highly inquisitive,
The Monkey often lets themselves down
by trying to find the easy way out of any
problems.
FamousMonkey babies
KennyG,WoodyHarrelson, 50Cent,
Andy Garcia, TomHanks
“Tome, Chinese
NewYear is a
brilliant time filled
with family, food,
drink andmahjong!
I love thewhole
family atmosphere
and the fact that
people are in and
out of the house at
all times.”
-NickAtkinson, an
Expatmarried to a local
Chinese.