By Chris Hseu, SCANews
The St. Louis Chinese community celebrated the official start of the Chinese New Year festivities last Saturday at the Forest Park Community College auditorium. Various cultural organizations and representatives from the community gave festival participants a showcase of Chinese culture, music, regional traditional dress styles, and folk dance in order to demonstrate Chinese history.
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley noted in his opening remarks that after meeting the Vice Premier during a trip to China last year, he now emphasizes the importance of learning the Chinese language. Maria Chappelle-Nadal read the proclamation from the Missouri Senate and wishes the best in the Chinese New Year. Dr. Lin Lee, president of the St. Louis Chinese Association, said that the "Chinese must make the community better and cherish our own culture, whether you're a third, second, or first generation." Dr. Debbie Pierce, director of the Confucius Institute at Webster University, with staff from Confucius Institute also joined the celebration.
The upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year is the Year of the Rabbit, one of the 12 animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig) representing the Chinese Zodiac. These "animal signs," as they are commonly called, can be used to deduce the age of a person and also have an individual horoscope much like the moon signs. Though the Chinese have adopted the Western calendar, the lunar calendar is still used for festive occasions and many Chinese calendars will print both the solar and lunar dates.
Rabbit: Those born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rabbit enjoy being surrounded by family and friends. They're popular, compassionate, sincere, and they like to avoid conflict and are sometimes seen as pushovers. Rabbits enjoy home and entertaining at home. Compatible with Goat or Pig.
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