Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year

Happy New Year: 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) to all our friends within the Chinese Community.

Chinese New Year is on Saturday 25th January and is the Year of the Rat.

We are celebrating this event here in MAMJS with some assembly talks about Chinese culture, food, clothing and traditions. Please take a look at our pictures below. Some of our pupils wore their traditional outfits for us today.

For anyone who would like to celebrate with the Chinese Community here in Dublin, there is a Spring Festival Fair being held in Dublin City Fruit and Vegetable Market on Saturday and Sunday. Details in pictures below. It is free and all are welcome.

Some interesting facts for the Year of the Rat:

The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.

The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) Zi (子) and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang (阴阳—yīn yáng), the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.

In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

Recent years of the Rat are: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020.

Lucky things for Rat's:

  • Colors: blue, gold, green
  • Numbers: 2, 3
  • Flowers: lily, African violet, valley lily
  • Directions of auspiciousness: southeast, northeast
  • Directions of wealth: southeast, east
  • Directions of love: west

Unlucky things:

  • Colors: yellow, brown
  • Numbers: 5, 9


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