Happy (Lunar) New Year!

Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

(china-family-adventure.com)

January 23, 2012 marks the beginning of the lunar new year observed in China. It is the Year of the Dragon, the only "mythological" animal in Chinese astrology. One's sign is reckoned by the year of birth rather than the month. The symbols repeat every dozen years. Is this a sensible system? It is ancient, inspired from celestial visitors, and how likely is it that the most populous nationality on the planet would be off? Not only are there a billion plus mainland Chinese, there are countless pockets all over the world. Rebirth on the human plane, for most beings, means Chinese culture and DNA. That is better than being a "barbarian," which people outside of The Wall are, or at least were, regarded as.

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