Unlike western calendars, the Chinese calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years. Within the 'Stem-Branch' system is shorter cycle of 12 years denoted by animals. 2013 is the year of the

The Chinese Calendar 2013

Unlike western calendars, the Chinese calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years. Within the 'Stem-Branch' system is shorter cycle of 12 years denoted by animals. 2013 is the year of the Snake. It is the guĭ-sì 癸 year (Water Snake).

The Chinese Lunar Calendar is 2,640 years older than ours and never begins on January 1st, nor does it begin on the same date each year. It can begin any time between January 21st and February 18th, depending on the date of the New Moon in Aquarius. Each year is named for an animal. Every 12 years this cycle begins again. In 2013, Chinese New Year begins February 10th and will be the year of the Water Snake. Every animal of the zodiac has 5 elements associated with it. Because of this, there are five Snakes, one for each element. Thus, every twelve years there is a different Snake. The Chinese say that the animal ruling the year you were born will influence your life.

Snake is a sign in the Chinese Zodiac. People born in the Year of the Snake tend to be calm, determined, passionate. [1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013]. Snakes are rich in wisdom and charm, are romantic and deep thinking and your intuition guides you strongly. Avoid procrastination and a stingy attitude towards money. Keep a sense of humor about life. The Snake would be most content as a teacher, philosopher, writer, psychiatrist and fortune teller.

The Snake

Mine is the wisdom of the ages.

I hold the key to the mysteries of life.

Casting my seeds on fertile ground,

I nurture them with constancy and purpose.


My sights are fixed.

My gaze unchanging.

Unyielding, inexorable and deep,

I advance with steady, unslacked gait,


the solid earth beneath me.

I am the snake.

By Theodora Lau

Snakes Likes: Color Preference: Red; Gems and Stones: Topaz, Jasper, Bloodstone; Suitable Gifts include: binoculars, Tarot cards, oils and lotions, stamp collection; Hobbies and Pastimes: Astrology, painting, touring, photography

Snakes Dislikes: Being interrupted, being misled personally or professionally, failure.

The Chinese New Year Calendar - With Its Associated 12 Animals

The lunar Chinese New Year (CNY) calendar below shows which of 12 animals you are! Naturally the animal depends on the year in which you were born. Note: if you were born in January or February you need to check if your birthday was before or after the date of that Chinese New Year. (If it was before this day your animal is the one shown for the previous year).

· Rat – 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

o Charming, social, and quick witted, rats are happy and popular people. Rats are always on the go and find safety in numbers. Rats are detail oriented, hard working, and overambitious. They are able to accumulate wealth easily - and do not part with money as easily. You will make a good architect, salesperson, or campaign manager.

· Ox = 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

o Patient, determined, and easy going, you never miss a beat. The Ox person succeeds at their own merits. Hard working, logical, and tenacious, the ox can be trusted to get the job done. By nature, the ox is methodical, sticking to routines and tradition. The rigidity and militant style of the Ox often results in an unapproachable and intimidating personality. You will be happy as a tennis pro, surgeon, hair stylist, or rock climber.

· Tiger = 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

o Tigers are romantic, lovable, magnetic and independent. The tiger is an optimist. You are brave, kind, daring and full of feeling. You might be a race car driver, animal trainer, reporter, or soap opera star.

· Rabbit = 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

o Rabbits are selfless, neat and tidy, and get along well with their brothers and sisters. Rabbits lead the good life and are the most fortunate of all animals. Rabbits live by the Golden Rule and wouldn't think of breaking it. You are well suited as a banker, lawyer, interior designer, or video-game player.

· Dragon = 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012

o One of the most showy characters of the zodiac chart, you are imaginative, lucky, full of fun, and energetic. Dragons are the doers of the world. You don't sit around waiting for things to happen, you make things happen. You demand perfection from yourself and from others. You will make a good talk-show host, artist or diplomat.

· Snake = 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013

Snakes are governed by their innate wisdom and intuition. Snake people think alot. Snake people are fast learners and will never make the same mistake twice. Snakes like the best things in life. Yin to the Dragon's Yang, you are mysterious, quiet, and a deep thinker and would be successful as a philosopher, fortune-teller or best friend.

· Horse = 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

o A horse person loves freedom. You are cheerful, talkative, a hard worker, and a bit of a show off. Horses will compliment to get a compliment. You are headstrong, quickminded and don't tolerate those who are not "up to speed." Able to do ten things at once, the horse dislikes idleness. You will be best as an explorer, writer, or debutante.

· Sheep = 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015

o You're a strong believer in what you do, gentle and loving, and very talented in the arts. The sheep is ultrasensitive, altruistic, and sincere. Sheep individuals follow the crowd and seldom lead. You will make a good author therapist or landscape architect.

· Monkey = 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016

o You are very smart, have a lot of wonderful ideas, but are full of mischief. Like a baby learning a new skill, the monkey will clap in delight at learning a new skill. You'll perform it over and over again until the skill is mastered. Monkeys are extremely competitive and need to do things better than anyone else. You will be good at everything you do, from magician to head of state.

· Rooster = 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

o You are neat as a pin, have lots of confidence, and would like everything to be perfect. You are brutally honest and candid. Roosters are proud animals that are detail oriented perfectionists. You will be happiest as a fashion model, actor, or world traveler.

· Dog = 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

o Keeping an eye on everything, you are alert and dependable. Compatible, compromising, loyal, and unprejudiced, dogs are there when you need them. While you are usually a friendly, affectionate and kind individual, you will fight to the end for a cause you believe in. You're a person of high intelligence, but don't express your thoughts and feelings to others. You will be an excellent secret agent, psychiatrist, or librarian.

· Pig = 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

o You are happy, good-natured, outspoken, but a little too trusting. Pigs are the nicest people to know. A pig will remain your friend for life. You might do well as a craftsperson, art collector, or comedian.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/chinese-zodiac.html

Odessa will celebrate Chinese New Year. On February 9, Odessa Zoo invites all the citizens and the guests of the city to the merry fest, dedicated to celebration of the Chinese New Year. The guests of the fest will have an opportunity to carry out a fascinating journey into the world of the Chinese totems, where they would be able to help the hero of the Russian fairytales, who has found himself among the sacred Chinese animals, escape exposure and come back home peacefully. 

The program of the fest includes numerous quizzes, contests, and lots of prizes and souvenirs from the Zoo. On top of that, a special gift will be presented – a thematic performance by the guests of the celebration – the representatives of Odessa’s Chinese Diaspora. 

The fest is scheduled to start at 12 a.m. (?This time is from the Odessa website.?)

Discussion-

1. Do you think the year that someone is born can influence their personality?

2. Do you think your Chinese Zodiac sign accurately reflects your personality? How about people you know? Does it fit them?

Mardi Gras 2013

Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday," is an annual celebration that takes place before Lent. Also called Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, is usually the last day of Carnival, a week- to month-long celebration in Christian, mostly Roman Catholic, tradition. Mardi Gras is a presented as a great festival, a boisterous carne vale --or "good-bye to the flesh"--that serves as the last sowing of wild oats before the onset of the sober season of Lent heralded by Ash Wednesday.

There are many places that are famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations, including New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Galveston, Texas--in the United States--and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Venice, Italy; and Mazatlan, Mexico--internationally. Essentially, the celebration of Mardi Gras has much to do with satiating appetites before the Lenten season of penitence and self-denial, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. Yet another name for Mardi Gras is "Pancake Tuesday," which is a reference to the custom of feasting on pancakes and finishing up all the eggs and dairy products often prohibited during the Lenten fast.

Although Mardi Gras and Carnival customs around the world differ, there are some elements that are shared by nearly all: music; bold, colorful costumes and/or masks; and unabashed merrymaking. The festivities are magnets for tourists from all over the world. Perhaps the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the United States is that of New Orleans, Lousiana. Although no historical confirmation exists of exactly when the first Mardi Gras was celebrated in New Orleans, it is believed that early French Settlers brought the custom with them to Louisiana. Popular legend awards the honor of transplanting Mardi Gras to the New World to a French explorer who arrived at the Mississippi River in 1699 and named his place of landing Point du Mardi Gras, after the holiday celebrated that day in his homeland. Eighteenth-century documents refer to well-established pre-Lenten traditions such as masked balls.

Beginning about two weeks before Fat Tuesday, parades organized by groups or clubs called krewes start to move through the streets of New Orleans and surrounding communities. Krewe members generally pay membership fees, or dues, which are used to fund the construction of their parade floats and the costumes they wear. Some krewes have a long historical tradition. The Mistick Krewe of Comus held its first parade in 1857 and still holds a ball each Mardi Gras eve. Major krewes such as the Krewe of Endymion and the Krewe of Tucks often have their own parade routes.

The bigger and more reknowned krewes hold their parades closer to Fat Tuesday. Over the years, parades have featured celebrities such as Louis Armstrong and Danny Kaye, and attract great crowds of onlookers, who gather to vie for the "throws" cast by the krewe members riding the floats. Popular throws are strings of colored plastic beads, small and inexpensive toys, and plastic or aluminum "doubloons." Jazz bands, walking clubs, and smaller parades promenade around the city. The major parades avoid the Quarter because of the logistics problems presented by its narrow streets.

The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple for "justice," green for "faith," and gold for "power." These colors are evident everywhere during Mardi Gras and the preceding weeks--from the clothing of the revelers to the food to the tokens that are thrown from the parade floats. The King Cake, a popular Mardi Gras staple, is decorated in sugar that is dyed in these colors. The King Cake is a coffee cake baked in a ring shape and glazed with a simple sugar icing, then sprinkled with gold, purple, and green colored sugar. Inside the King Cake, the baker has hidden a small plastic baby, symbolizing the Christ Child. Whoever finds the baby in his or her slice of King Cake is said to be able to expect good luck in the coming year--and is expected to host the next King Cake party. Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, serves as a Christian celebration before the long fast of Lent, which begins the following day. The largest Mardi Gras celebration occurs in New Orleans, Louisiana, where street masquerades are common.

Belgium In the Belgian city of Binche the Mardi Gras festival is the most important day of the year and the summit of the Carnival of Binche. Around 1000 Gilles dance throughout the city from morning until past dusk, whilst traditional carnival songs play. In 2003, the "Carnival of Binche" was proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Brazil Carnaval is the most famous Brazilian holiday. During this time period Brazil attracts 70% of its tourists. Variations in carnaval celebrations are observed throughout the multitude of Brazilian cities. Yet, a commonality observed among them is the incorporation of samba into the celebrations. The southeastern cities of Brazil have massive parades that take place in large sambadromes. The largest carnaval celebration in Brazil and the world occurs in Rio de Janeiro, where two million people are found celebrating in the city. The city of Salvador also holds a large carnaval celebration.

Germany The celebration of Mardi Gras in Germany is called Karneval, Fastnacht, or Fasching.[10] Fastnacht means "Eve of the Beginning of the Fast", and is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday. The most famous parades are held in Cologne, Mainz, and Düsseldorf on the Monday before Ash Wednesday, called Rosenmontag.

Italy In Italy Mardi Gras is called Martedí Grasso (Fat Tuesday). It's the main day of Carnival along with the Thursday before, called Giovedí Grasso (Fat Thursday), which ratifies the start of the celebrations. The most famous Carnivals in Italy are in Venice and in Viareggio. Italy is the birthplace of Carnival celebrations, having its origins in the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia. The Italian version of the festival is spelled Carnevale.[11]

Netherlands The Netherlands also has a festival similar to Mardi Gras. It's called Carnaval and is similar to the Venice Carnival. The origin of the word Carnaval is 'Carne Vale' which means Goodbye to the meat in Latin. It marks the beginning of the sacred period that leads to Easter. The real festival is held in the southern part of the Netherlands in the provinces of Noord-Brabant and Limburg, and in eastern parts of Twente and Groningen.

Discussion:

1. What do you think of celebrations such as Mardi Gras?

2. Have you heard of Mardi Gras before or been to a Mardi Gras celebration?

3. Do you have any similar holidays or traditions here in Ukraine?

Дата добавления: 2015-11-04