Lunar New Year Across Asia

February 18, 2007 is the first day of the Year of the Water Pig

8 February 2007- 6 February 2008

YEAR of the Fire Pig

Pig Years- 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031.

If you were born in 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983 or 1995 - you were born under the sign of the pig. Like the pig, you are highly regarded for your chilvary and pureness of heart, and you often make friends for life. For pigs in 2007, any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally.

Famous people born in the Year Of The Pig include Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Thomas Jefferson, Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, Mahalia Jackson, David Letterman, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year festivities last for 15 days, with various events taking place on each day. Fun facts about the traditions and customs of the New Year celebration include:

Say “Gong xi fa cai” (in Mandarin) or “Gong hei fatt choy” (in Cantonese) to wish someone a happy New Year.
Days before the celebration, families thoroughly clean their houses in the belief that cleaning will sweep away bad luck and prepare for good luck to arrive.
Red envelopes filled with money are given as gifts from the older members to the younger members of the family.
The lion dance, a symbolic ritual, is performed to force away evil spirits and to summon luck and good fortune.

This year Chinese New Year begins on February 18, 2007 and lasts until March 4, 2007. The USA is no way left behind for the celebrations.

Chinese Lunar New Year in New York City: 2007

Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival
Date: Sunday, February 18, 2007
Where: from 11-3 p.m. in Chatham Square (Intersection of Bowery, Mott & East Broadway)
The firecracker detonation, with expected attendance by local politicians and community leaders, is intended to ward off evil spirits.

From 11 am to 3 pm, a large stage will feature all-day cultural performances by traditional and contemporary Asian-American singers and dancers. Plus, a dozen lion, dragon and unicorn dance troupes will march through Chinatown’s main streets, including Mott Street, the Bowery, East Broadway, Bayard Street, Elizabeth Street and Pell Street.

Illuminations: Lunar New Year Fireworks Spectacular
Date: Sunday, February 18, 2007
Where: 7:00 pm in Columbus Park (Mulberry Street between Worth and Bayard Streets)
For the first time ever, the skies above Chinatown will be illuminated with a colorful and spectacular fireworks display by the Grucci Brothers of July 4th fame. Watch for the extraordinary “waterfall” effect, last performed over the Brooklyn Bridge in 1983.