Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Year of the Yin Water Snake!

(My vintage necklace with crystals and antique sterling ring with emeralds and rubies.)

Living in Seattle we have a large Asian population so the Chinese Lunar New Year is a big deal here. It's the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays and translates to the Spring Festival.

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar one, thus it's being referenced as the Lunar New Year. Read on, if your interested in more information.

Many foods, dress, and actions thought to be fortuitous are celebrated. For example, egg rolls are a traditional New Year food because they are thought to resemble gold bars thus bringing good fortune. Long noodles are also eaten and are representative of long life. For this reason, you never cut the noodles because then you would be symbolically cutting your life short. Red, the color thought to scare away the mythical beast Nian, is worn to ward off evil and bring good luck.

This year is the Year of the Snake. In the Chinese zodiac the snake signifies cleverness, tenacity, and is associated with fire. But this year is also associated with water so it's not just any snake but the Year of the Water Snake and, since last year was a Yang Dragon Year, its Year of the Yin (or female) Water Snake specifically.

The contrast of fire and water means chaos in the year ahead but the pairing of the female element with the water element is thought to be an awakening that positively combats the chaos. The Yin Water Snake is also thought to bring a once latent sensuality to the year ahead. She is thought to bring out the passions in all and represent the positive feminine powers in the world and all of us. She is thought to help us move forward through the current stage of life and on to next positive one.

Personally, I'm just glad Spring is almost here!

Kisses,

K

(All images created and owned by Krista Carson, please ask permission prior to use. Information via various local sources and people over various periods of time.)

 

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