Tuesday 2 February 2010

happy New Year 2553... 農曆新年!

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the "Lunar New Year" by English speakers. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as chú xī. It literally means "Year-pass Eve".Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Lunar Calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Ancient Chinese New Year is a reflection on how the people behaved and what they believed in the most.Celebrated in areas with large populations of ethnic Chinese, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors, as well as cultures with whom the Chinese have had extensive interaction. These include Koreans (Seollal), Tibetans and Bhutanese (Losar), Mongolians (Tsagaan Sar), Vietnamese (Tết), and formerly the Japanese before 1873 (Oshogatsu). Outside of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, Chinese New Year is also celebrated in countries with significant Han Chinese populations, such as Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. In countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, although Chinese New Year is not an official holiday, many ethnic Chinese hold large celebrations and Australia Post, Canada Post, and the US Postal Service issues New Year's themed stamps.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also the tradition that every family thoroughly cleans the house to sweep away any ill-fortune in hopes to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of “happiness”, “wealth”, and “longevity”. On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is a great way to reconcile forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

A Wish Tree is an individual tree, usually distinguished by species, position or appearance, which is used as an object of wishes and offerings. Such trees are identified as possessing a special religious or spiritual value. By tradition, believers make votive offerings in order to gain from that nature spirit, saint or goddess fulfillment of a wish.
"Wish Fulfilling Tree" is the title of the world Anthem for children. The lyrics were written by the Buddhist monk kelsang Pawo and the music by the Greek composer George Lenoudius. It was released for the benefit of children in January 2009 and is to be recorded in every one of the worlds languages.

Previously, they burnt joss sticks, wrote their wishes on joss paper tied to an orange, and then threw them up to hang in these trees, believing that if the paper successfully hung onto one of the tree branches, their wishes would come true.
In Hindu mythology, the banyan tree is also called kalpavriksha, meaning "wish- fulfilling tree", as it represents eternal life because of its seemingly ever-expanding branches.
The Wishing Tree or Kissing Tree was made at Christmas or Yuletide before pine trees were introduced by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840. An evergreen bough was hung with apples, sweetmeats, and candles and decked with ribbons representing wishes.







Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of Huangdi. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year 2010 "Chinese Year" 4708, 4707, or 4647.



Year 2553 That is according to Thai calendar. We're now in year 2553 for Thai believe, and 2010 for Western calendar....now just wait to celebrate Chinese New Year "the Year of the Tiger" on 14 of february...good luck to everyone!
*Pictures and location: Nan Tien Temple 2010 (Chinese: 南天寺; pinyin: Nántiān Sì; literally "Southern Heaven Temple") is a Buddhist temple complex located in the industrial suburb of Berkeley, on the southern outskirts of the Australian city of Wollongong, approximately 80 km south of Sydney. Nan Tien is a Chinese term which means "southern paradise".
Nan Tien is one of the branch temples of Fo Guang Shan, founded in 1967 by Venerable Master Hsing Yun , which has over 120 branches worldwide. The temple is one of the largest Buddhist temples in the southern hemisphere.

17 comments:

Sil said...

Pero qué hermosas sonrisas!!
Muy lindas fotos, me encantaron los colores.

Abrazos

Sarah said...

incredibles photos! seems like you are in china

great video china new year in Sydey as well

happy new year hun ;)

subongkot said...

hello crazy drile

happy chinese new year

welcome to the year of Tiger !!

let´s fight ..

kissss

subongkot

Will said...

Must be hot in chili! This is the Nan Tien temple right? I went there years ago...

Cristina Lemus Allen said...

Lovely pics. Wish I could go...!!

Happy New Year from Spain ; )

Suruyevsky. said...

HAPPY YEAR OF TIGER!!!
That each of its claws be a cause of rejoicing.
Awesome Nan Tien Temple (lion, trees, ceiling, red lamps). Some pictures looks like Forbidden City.
Enjoy a lot of spring rice.
Greetings from Mandrilland (土地山魈)!

iggie said...

Happy New Year 2553 for you and Amy, Seba!

I hope this year is succesful as the last one.

The pictures, as usual, awesome.

And remember take some good holidays in Chile.

Silla!

★ Crazy Drile™ said...

Los colores son realmente espectaculares en Chinese New Year, Sil...especialmente el contraste de los rojos de los globos Chinos y el verde de los arboles y plantas...increible paraiso para fotógrafos y aficonados...

Que pasa en Japón, celebran el año nuevo en febrero?

Un abrazo grande para ti!

★ Crazy Drile™ said...

Happy New Year Sarah!
The video of Chinese new year in Sydney is awesome... the colony from China ans Asia here is huge and chinatown is just a little piece of Asia in Australia...

let´s celebrate!
Happy New Year!

take care!

★ Crazy Drile™ said...

Sawasdee krab Subongkot!

Sawadi pee mai 2553!!! lots of blessings for you this New Year!

keep walking...

★ Crazy Drile™ said...

That´s right Mr. Will Smith... Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong....

Awesome place in Sydney....the Temple is one of the largets Buddhist Temples in the Southern Hemisphere mate! ...and the food there just great! it looks great in New Year...you should come back again!

Nice to see you here mate!

Cheers!

★ Crazy Drile™ said...

Thanks Oceano, you should come here...Australia and Asia or Australasia is waiting for explorers and turists always...

take a look in the Ipod on your rght hand side...I put some videos about Chinese New Year in Sydney and Asian traditions and music

Enjoy!

Happy New Year in Spain!

★ Crazy Drile™ said...

Happy New Year 2553 Suruyevsky!
it is amazing here mate...Australia and Asia is waiting for you...just bring some Chilean wine in your back pack and do not forget your camera!

Bye bye Mandrilland...hello Thailand!

think about it!

★ Crazy Drile™ said...

Happy New Year too Ozyoso!
remember to celebrate on 14 of february...now you have an excuse for drink rice beer and eat dumplings!

greetings back!


ps: did you buy Zobako´s book???

Gabriela said...

Dear Crazy Drile and Amy:

Happy New Year!!!

I wish you all the best for this New Year 2553.

The pics are wonderful, and what these represent, better yet.
It is a beautiful feast, and you show in your pictures all the mistic, energy, plenty of colour.
I am going to read again what you say in the chapter. It is to much interesting. Really.

Thank you for teaching all this beautiful traditions.

Blesings for you!!!

Cheers from LA

MIESFE - 64 said...

Hola ,en el blog de Fernando preguntas si alguien conoce la cámara NYKON f-90 ,pues si, esta muy bien ,pero si puedes mejor la D-300
referente a tu blog me ha gustado un montón este reportaje es para cogerte envidia
felicidades
Saludos

tal-caco said...

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QUE MARAVILLOSO RESUMEN Y SINTESIS DE LO QUE HA SIDO TU VIVIENCIA!!!
COMO ME HACEN REFLEXIONAR Y SENTIR COMO LA RUTINA NOS VA CONSUMIENDO LA VIDA, SIN DARNOS CUENTA Y SIN HACER NADA AL RESPECTO...
FELICITACIONES POR LO QUE HAZ LOGRADO!!!! SIGUE ADELANTE, SIGUE VIVIENDO A CONCHO, DE MANERA DE QUE CUANDO LLEGUE EL RECUENTO FINAL, TE DES CUENTA DE LO MUCHO QUE VIVISTE Y APROVECHASTE, UTILIZANDO LOS TALENTOS QUE DIOS TE DIÓ en un 200%.-
UN ABRAZO A AMBOS