With the Chinese New Year fast approaching, here is something to keep in mind for any furry friends going to or from China- Airport customs will be closed from 1:00 PM on Friday, January 23rd through Sunday, February 1st. They will be open for normal business hours on Monday, February 2nd.History and Mythology of the Chinese New Year:
Not much is known about when celebrating the New Year first began- however in 104 BC, during the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu signified “month 1” as the beginning of the year, and hence it is still recognized as such today.
According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the Nian or "Year" in Chinese. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to devour livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after the Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn’t attack any more people. One time, people saw that the Nian was scared away by a little child wearing red. The villagers then understood that the Nian was afraid of the color red. Hence, every time when the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to frighten away the Nian. From then on, the Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjunlaozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjunlaozu's mount. (Wikipedia)
Happy New Year!
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