Happy Niu Year 牛年快乐

2008 is now finally in the past as millions of Chinese people around the world welcomed the Chinese New Year on Monday 26 January.

As we waved goodbye to the Year of the Rat, the Year of the Ox was greeted in traditional style with firecrackers, parties and feasts.

As the Chinese word for Ox is pronounced 'Niu' which sounds similar to 'new' in English, but has the meaning of being 'bullish', this pun is interpreted as an auspicious start to the year.

According to Chinese astrology, people born in the Year of the Ox are patient, hardworking and can inspire confidence in others. However, they can be fierce and remarkably stubborn at times.
Traditionally in London, the Chinese New Year celebration is held on the first Sunday after New Year's Day. This year, the mayor of London has promised spectators a rich mixture of live performances, a colourful parade and culinary delights at the famous landmark Trafalgar Square.

Further up in Derry, in Northern Ireland, the celebration arrived early. Locals were treated to calligraphy demonstrations, authentic Chinese tea tasting and a Chinese banquet. The mayor of Derry, Gerard Diver, thought the events were extremely important, not just for the Chinese community, but to everyone in Derry.

“We live on an island, and I sometimes think that we're perhaps not as exposed to different cultures or to different ways of doing things as we should be. This is a valuable opportunity to gain an insight into Chinese culture and traditions, and it's also an important sign of progress,” said Mr Diver.

The global financial crisis has, however, affected celebrations elsewhere in the country. Coventry Community Chinese Association was forced to cancel its plans for the New Year due to lack of funding. Similarly in the south west part of the country, decisions were made to scale down the celebration after a number of sponsors were forced to cut back on financial support.

Despite the setbacks, people are determined to welcome the Niu Year in style and hope the Year of the Ox will bring prosperity through fortitude and hard work.

今天是我生日

January 22,Happy Birthday to myself. It is my 24th birthday。

今天是我的生日，又一个简简单单的生日，

已经习惯了 ，日子过的快得不可思议。

这一年的时间对我来说经历了很多事情。

春节的由来

The Origin of Chinese New Year

春节一般指除夕和正月初一。但在民间，传统意义上的春节是指从腊月初八的腊祭或腊月二十三或二十四的祭灶，一直到正月十五，其中以除夕和正月初一为高潮。在春节期间，我国的汉族和很多少数民族都要举行各种活动以示庆祝。这些活动均以祭祀神佛、祭奠祖先、除旧布新、迎禧接福、祈求丰年为主要内容。活动丰富多彩，带有浓郁的民族特色。

The Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the Begining of Spring （the first of the twenty-four terms in coodination with the changes of Nature）。 Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations are hanging around. All agree， however， that the word Nian， which in modern Chinese solely means year， was originally the name of a monster beast that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year.

One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. People were very scared. One day， an old man came to their rescue， offering to subdue Nian. To Nian he said， I hear say that you are very capable， but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents？ So， it did swallow many of the beasts of prey on earth that also harrassed people and their domestic animals from time to time.

After that， the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian. He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests， people begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left， he had told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again， because red is the color the beast feared the most.

From then on， the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation. The term Guo Nian， which may mean Survive the Nian becomes today Celebrate the （New） Year as the word guo in Chinese having both the meaning of pass-over and observe. The custom of putting up red paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around. However， people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this， except that they feel the color and the sound add to the excitement of the celebration.

Laba Festival 腊八节

腊月初八，我国人民有吃腊八粥习俗。据说腊八粥传自印度，和佛教始祖释迦牟尼有关。释迦牟尼本是古印度北部迦毗罗卫国（今尼泊尔境内）净饭王的儿子，他见众生受生老病死等痛苦折磨，又不满当时婆罗门的神权统治，舍弃王位，出家修道。初无收获，后经六年苦行，于腊月八日在菩提树下悟道成佛。在这六年苦行中，每日仅食一麻一米。后人不忘他所受的苦难，于每年腊月初八吃粥以做纪念。“腊八”就成了“佛祖成道纪念日”。腊八粥在古时是用红小豆、糯米煮成，现在在中国各地腊八粥的花样，争奇竞巧，品种繁多。

Laba is celebrated on the eighth day of the last lunar month, referring to the traditional start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year. "La" in Chinese means the 12th lunar month and "ba" means eight. Legends about the origin of this festivity abound. One holds that over 3,000 years ago sacrificial rites called "La "(腊) were held in the twelfth lunar month when people offered their preys to the gods of heaven and earth. The Chinese characters for prey (猎物) and the twelfth month (腊) were interchangeable then, and ever since "La" has been used to refer to both. Since the festival was held on the eighth day of the Last month, people later appended the number eight ("ba" in Chinese), giving us the current Laba . The majority Han Chinese have long followed the tradition of eating Laba rice porridge on the Laba Festival. The date usually falls in mid-January.

Laba rice porridge（粥） was first introduced to China in the Song Dynasty about 900 years ago. Buddhism was well accepted in the areas inhabited by the Han Chinese, who believed that Sakyamuni（释迦牟尼）, the first Buddha and founder of the religion, attained enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth month. Sutras（佛经） were chanted in the temples and rice porridge with beans, nuts and dried fruit was prepared for the Buddha. With the passing of time the custom extended, especially in rural areas where peasants would pray for a plentiful harvest in this way. There is, however, another touching story: When Sakyamuni was on his way into the high mountains in his quest（寻求） for understanding and enlightenment, he grew tired and hungry. Exhausted from days of walking, he fainted away by a river in India. A shepherdess found him there and fed him her lunch -- porridge made with beans and rice. Sakyamuni was thus able to continue his journey. After six years of strict discipline, he finally realized his dream of full enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Ever since, monks have prepared rice porridge on the eve and held a ceremony the following day, during which they chant sutras and offer porridge to Buddha. Thus, the tradition of eating Laba porridge was based in religion, though with the passing of time the food itself became a popular winter dish especially in cold northern China. According to written records, large Buddhist temples would offer Laba rice porridge to the poor to show their faith to Buddha. In the Ming Dynasty about 500 years ago, it became such a holy food that emperors would offer it to their officials during festivals. As it gained favor in the feudal （封建的）upper class, it also quickly became popular throughout the country.

Laba rice porridge contains glutinous rice （糯米）, red beans, millet, Chinese sorghum, peas, dried lotus seeds, red beans and some other ingredients, such as dried dates, chestnut meat, walnut meat, almond, peanut, etc. Actually eight ingredients（配料、成分） are used, cooked with sugar to make the porridge tasty. Northerners prefer to use glutinous rice, red beans, dates, lotus seeds, dried pulp（果肉）, walnuts （胡桃）, pine nuts and other dried fruits in their porridge; southerners like a salty porridge prepared with rice, soybeans（大豆）, peanuts, broad beans, taro, water chestnuts, walnuts, vegetables and diced meat. In the north, it is a dessert with sugar added; in the south, salt is put in. Some people like to add cinnamon and other condiments to add flavor. Controlling the heat is of great importance in making Laba porridge. At the start, the flame must be high, but the fire is then turned down to let the porridge simmer until it begins to emit a very delicious smell. The process is time-consuming but not complicated. Laba porridge is not only easy to prepare, but also a nutritious winter food because it contains amino acids, protein, vitamins and other nutrition people need. Cooked nuts and dried fruit are good for soothing nerves, nourishing one's heart and vitality, and strengthening the spleen. Perhaps that is why it is also called babao (Eight Treasure) porridge.