February 17, Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse

 

Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse

2026 is the Year of the Horse—a powerful symbol of vitality, bold leaps, and good fortune for those ready to take on new challenges. 

Horse and the 12 Zodiac Animals (Origin Story)

Chinese culture has an origin story that explains why the 12 zodiacs are represented by these 12 animals, and in this order. Horse is 7th of the zodiacs because that’s its place in the celestial race.

The race was organized by the Jade Emperor, who ruled over the heavens in Chinese legend. By his imperial decree, the first 12 animals that made it across the river would receive this eternal honor.

Horse was a crowd favorite, but because it was dawdling for the onlookers’ adoration and fanfare at the starting line, Horse didn’t start the race until it was too late to win the way everyone expected. However, it still beat the Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig to the finish line. 

Horses are some of the most passionate and charismatic leaders, performers, and activists the world has ever seen. Here’s a list of famous Horses:

  Joe Biden: November 20, 1942, Water Horse

    Mike Tyson: June 30, 1966, Fire Horse

    Jackie Chan: April 7, 1954, Wood Horse

    Kobe Bryant: August 23, 1978, Earth Horse

    Emma Watson: April 15, 1990, Metal Horse

    Clint Eastwood: May 31, 1930, Metal Horse

    Greta Thunberg: January 3, 2003, Water Horse

    Cindy Crawford: February 20, 1966, Fire Horse 

Mom has spent a lot of time living in cities that have large vibrant Chinatowns and Chinese New Year is always a humongous celebration. She worked in a Chinese Restaurant for a while and worked a couple of New Years. She said it is a major Spring Festival, It is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, and rituals to attract good fortune, featuring red decorations, fireworks, dragon dances, and traditional, symbolic, festive meals. A

One of the things Mom says she misses the most is the Dragon and Lion Dancers as thy parade EVERYWHERE!

Here is a YouTube Video teaching Kids about Dragon Dancing!

 Tonight Mom will make some traditional Chinese dishes and she says she will make us some stir fried salmon and broccoli! 

 

Now, I'm off to practice doing a LION Dance!

May the colorful celebrations drive all the dullness away from your life. Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Today we are pawticipating at Comedy Plus at HAPPY TUESDAY! THNX SANDY!

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

 

Yesterday, I, Marvelous got out my ephemeris and I calculated all the Chinese Horoscopes for 2023 (The year of the Rabbit). If you are interested, the Chinese horoscopes are on their own page on the website. You can find out which Animal you are, the Personality Traits, the Yearly Forecast for your sign, your Lucky Numbers and Lucky Colors. You can get there by clicking this button

 

or you can click the page in the Tab Bar.

 

 

 

Now for the Selfie! 

This week Cinnamon stepped up, but part way though she wanted to play with her new ball.

Sheesh! 

Are you guys celebrating? We are! We get Chinese Food tonight. Mom makes the best (she used to work in a Chinese Restaurant) and she makes a special Chicken Chow Meow and Chicken Chow Bow Wow (no sauce, no stir fry) just for us. We can't wait! 

Did you do anything special for the Lunar New Year?

Now, we are pawrticipating in Selfie Sunday over at The Cat On My Head! They have been running Selfie Sunday for a long, long time! We LOVE the Kitties Blue and we can't wait to see them! Click on their button to head to Selfie Central! 

Lunar New Years Eve and the Friendly Fill-ins by Mom!

Friendly fill - ins with Mom!

This week we are getting Mom to do the friendly fill-ins.

1. BIRTHDAYS make me feel old.

2. Dancing to the oldies while cleaning the house makes me feel young.

 

3. Recently, being a computer Geek came in very handy. 

4. I think that the new snow plow guy in the village is the most useless one we have ever had.

Thank goodness that since Christmas we have had more seasonable weather.  I was getting tired of having to shovel half the road to get the car out of the driveway.   But I gotta say, snow shovelling is a terrific cardio exercise!

 The Friendly Fill-ins are written by 15 and Meowing (the first 2) and the second two are written by Four-Legged Fur Balls! We hope you enjoyed learning about our Mom as much as we love learning about you dear furrends.

         

AND

 Today is the Lunar New Year's Eve!

When Mom and me lived in Vancouver it was a really big event. Richmond (a city that makes up part of Vancouver) is more than 80% Asian and South Asian. Seeing all the celebrations, Lion and Dragon Dancers, the parades and the wonderful cuisine was a unique experience. Mom misses it. Many of the people she worked with participated in the events and several of them were Lion and Dragon Dancers. Below is a video of the Lion Dancers getting ready for the excitement. 

One of the exciting things about this New Year is that last year was full of the fierceness of the TIGER! Our Peeps were all freed from the pandemic cages. And lots of things happened all over the world. This new lunar year we will be tamer -- it is the year of the rabbit (and in some countries the cat).
Rabbits, in the Chinese Zodiac are known for their sense of calm and peacefulness. That means this year will be profoundly different as tigers and rabbits represent opposite energies. The Tiger embodies Yang energy and the Rabbit, Yin.
 

Yang energy is associated with fast-paced movement and action—which explains why the Year of the Tiger was “unpredictable, and sometimes even aggressive and chaotic,”

 Yin energy is more laid back, which means we can expect the Year of the Rabbit to be well-suited for reflection, rest, and renewal. That does not mean it will be boring though. It means we have a chance to step back, think about and realize our goals. 

RABBITS are the luckiest of the 12 zodiac animals and Rabbit years are supposed to bring Hope and Prosperity. 

 

All us cats are really looking forward to Mom making Chinese Food tomorrow!  

 

Are you doing anything special for Chinese New Year?

Please click the button to be taken to Feline Friday! Tell Mimi that Marvelous sent you!