Tradition Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.

The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year.

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors.

The sacrifice to the ancestors, the most vital of all the rituals, united the living members with those who had passed away. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.

The presence of the ancestors is acknowledged on New Year's Eve with a dinner arranged for them at the family banquet table. The spirits of the ancestors, together with the living, celebrate the onset of the New Year as one great community. The communal feast called "surrounding the stove" or weilu. It symbolizes family unity and honors the past and present generations.

in the new year there is now a regular on the popular modern society do

Traditionally red packets are also handed out to younger generation by their parents, grand parents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends during Chinese New Year. Nowadays giving red packets as a bonus at the year-end by employers becomes popular and Chinese new year parcel is also a tradition of giving to business associates or relatives.

Giving Chinese new year parcel to employees prior to the New Year is also a good idea. This can be either a gift or a bonus. If it is as a gift, the money should be just right for a gift. If as a bonus, you may enclose a check in the parcel gift and hand it out in an office.

Article Source : http://www.educ.uvic.ca/faculty/mroth/438/CHINA/chinese_new_year.html

The Art of Dating and the Adage of the Red Rose

If there is something that has represented love and dating, it is the red rose. It is the commonest of all rose flower species that make many conjure with the valentine day and love at its highest intensity. It gives one the ideas of love and romance as it has been the iconic symbol of endearment at its most passionate level. Over the years, it has become one of the best expressions of affection and true love.

Amidst being the best way for a man or woman to express his or her desires of affection and love, the red rose has in its character the warmest and most strong meanings of love and dating. It breaths of significance as one samples the long history that it has. It has single-handedly incorporated itself into the hands of men. It has been featured into the most beautiful and classical work of literature, from poetry to the imaginative world of paintings. It has provided a platform for people to create inspiration among the writers, loves and artists at the heart of myriad cultures.

It was Shakespeare, who is known to have sparked off the red rose when he eluded the flower in the book of love: Romeo and Juliet, as well as filling Robert Burns, a poet, with such endearing love as to create a masterpiece on the greatness and immense beauty that the red rose has. The red rose has changed over the years in places where it is used, not only in the dating and love issues but also in the modern media and music to the world of politics and religion.

It is through these tenets of the society that the red rose, conjures symbols of respect, prosperity and courage. It is thus transforming it into what we would like to have when we want to create a show and make a statement that is full of drama and glamour. All these meanings of the red rose have been unsuccessful in making people, from the young to the old, to know and speak of the red rose as the best symbol of ones love and unending romance in the art of dating.

The red rose, is the standard symbol of true love that is deep down the heart of a human and fidelity. For dating lovers, the red rose, seems to have become the choice while exchanging tinges of love since it sends and draws some of the strongest love messages. It is one of the single most existing traditions that have not waned with time.

Before a dating instance, sending red roses to your lover still stands out not only as the most popular way of saying how much we love someone, but also appears as the symbol of love. It represents true romantic feelings as well as love that exceeds the pain that a thorn can cause. In a relationship where the dating has just taken root just bouquet of red roses deliver the intentions of commitment and romance, as well as the idea of taking the relationship you have to a higher level.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Francis_K_Githinji

Chocolate Became The Soul Of Valentine's Day

It is said that one of the biggest chocolate giving holidays is Valentine's Day. The closer you get to the actual holiday, the more you will see the chocolate fly off the shelves. There are typically 4 major gifts that are given when Valentine's Day rolls around and those gifts are jewelry, flowers, stuffed animals and of course, chocolate. So how do you get away with giving valentine chocolate as your gift without it seeming like a cliche? The first thing is to steer clear of the gas stations for last minute gifts. Take the extra minute and actually go to a regular store; it will be well worth it.

Despite what you may think, most people really do enjoy getting chocolate for Valentine's Day. The trick to spicing it up is to get a big creative with the chocolate. The traditional chocolate gifts are heart shaped boxed of candy filled chocolates. These are the types that you will find at the corner store as well as most pharmacies. If you show up with a box of the typical chocolates then you will be saying that you did not take much time in picking out the gift.

You do not want to look like you picked your gift up at the last minute without putting any thought into it so try to be a little creative with what you choose. For instance, if you are looking to spice things up in the romance department you may want to look into something such as chocolate body paints and some chocolate flavored whipped topping. IF your partner is more on the conservative side and he or she loves coffee then you may want to go with a valentine chocolate gift such as chocolate covered coffee beans or some sort of flavoring for their coffee. You can get spoons that are covered in flavored chocolate that you can stir into your cup of coffee for an instant gourmet flavored coffee.

You can also look into different types of candy rather than the traditional heart shaped box of chocolates. You may find something like a cheesecake with chocolate shavings all over the top or a favorite flavored cake covered in will be pleasantly surprised with something different and it will show that you took the time to put some thought into the gift you choose rather than just making a pit stop at the local gas station.

Valentine's Day is about celebrating your love or feelings towards another and you want the gift you choose to reflect how you feel. If you are unsure of what to get, then take a look at what your partner likes to do. You can take his or her favorite hobby and make it into something sweet with chocolate. You can go with chocolate covered strawberries and champagne or you can choose to go with the coffee idea, the choice really depends on what you and your partner like to do.

The ultimate chocolate indulgence is a gift of handcrafted chocolate. The French are known for their superb wines and exquisite cuisine. French chocolate is no exception: it is chocolate in its purest form without preservatives and fat other than the natural cocoa butter. Chocolate selection is handmade by world champion French chocolatiers using 400 year old passionate tradition and zealous adherence to purity.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_I_Leslie