It’s getting to the end of the year of the Ox, and from Monday we’ll be in the Year of the Tiger! So, how will you be celebrating?
The Year of the Tiger!
We’ve completely decorated the school in Salamanca, with laterns, tinsel, Chinese imagine and tiger decorations. Furthermore, we have organised a New Year party in Camelot – complete with food straight from China!
The meal will be free for all Mester students who want to celebrate with us – from 9:30, you’re welcome! Check out the further information, and get your name on the guest list, by adding us on Facebook and registering yourself for the event we’ve created.
The Chinese zodiac is made up of twelve signs – the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the ram, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. Each animal corresponds to a year and corresponds to a set of personality traits, indicating how a person born in this year is said to be, much like the typical astrology seen in daily magazines.
The school - ready for the fesitivities!
New Year is a very important time and isn’t just celebrated the one night, it’s celebrated over fifteen days! With special times set aside for “renri” – celebrated on the seventh day and known as the common man’s birthday when everyone is said to grow a year older, not (yes not!) to visit friends and relatives because the days (third and fourth days of the year) are said to be days when it’s easy to get into arguements, there’s a day for married daughters to visit their parents (the second day) and finally the fifteenth day, when people carry lanterns and the end of the festivities is marked.
There are also a series of traditions – such as buying new clothes, shoes and having you haircut (to indicate a fresh start), eating special food (such as dumplings and fish), avoiding certain foods (such as meat) and lighting incense to warn away spirits which make this a magical and unique time of year!
So, now you know all about the Chinese New Year, if you are lucky enough to be doing a Spanish course in Salamanca at the moment, come down to Camelot at 9:30pm where, for free, you can celebrate it in style!
A view from the top floor!
