Episode 529 – Happy Lunar New Year

• Welcome QFY fans
• Today, as I am writing this episode is the first day of Lunar NY, also often called Chinese New Year
• January 25, 2020 until 11 Feb 2021, and that is when the Year of the Ox begins.
• I have now lived in the US for 20 years
• And Chinese New Year has never interested me
• I didn’t know anything about it
• And I didn’t dedicate time to learn more about it
• Until this year
• What changed this year?
• I am working with people from Asia
  • Not directly
  • But via email we communicate almost daily
  • They are the people that manage the factories where the shoes are made that the company I work for sells
  • And since my responsibility is to bring them into the US, I work with them on the shipping plans
• And for the first time, Chinese New Year affects more directly than it ever has before
  • I had a huge number of shipments to get done before the holiday
  • We had a couple of shipments that missed the sailing because there was no more space
  • And for the next 10 days I will not get any paperwork on any shipments which can be critical for imports purposes
• But we tried to get everything in before everyone went on holiday
• But suddenly I have a little bit of interest in this holiday because it affects me
• I want to know what everyone over there is celebrating
  • And maybe some of you also celebrate
• Traditions are powerful
• They give us a sense of belonging and community
• We sense we are a part of something bigger
• Traditions can give us a feeling of home
• At Christmas I will always remember my childhood and the customs around this special time of year that I grew up with
• They hold a special place in my heart
• And I love learning about the traditions of others, and I am quite ashamed by the fact that I don’t know much at all about Chinese New year, a holiday that is celebrated by millions of people every year
• More appropriately called Lunar New Year – it is one of the most important festivals for many people of Asian heritage.

• today, I am changing this and in case you don’t know much about this special holiday, you can learn with me together
• Every time we open ourselves up to a bit more knowledge, we can relate better to fellow human beings
• This was confirmed yet again when I met my meetup group for dinner tonight and one of the ladies showed up in a beautiful red overcoat and I knew right away why
• And I wished her a happy new year.
• It made her happy and it made me fell great
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• The new year, also known in China as the Spring Festival, is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar;
  • this means the date changes from year to year versus a solar calendar that we follow where the dates are fixed. 
  • This change is due to the moon’s orbit around the Earth, which is irregular, and which occurs once every 27 to 28 days.

• Each Chinese New Year is characterized by one of 12 animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac –
  • last year was the Year of the Pig.
• Do you find the allocation to animals strange?
• I always did,
  • Especially since some of the animals are not the most graceful ones, like a rat or a pig
  • And I thought its weird to be identified with such an animal
• But now I have learned the history behind it, and it holds more mystery for me than before
• The years assigned to each animal are in a very specific order.
• According to an ancient Chinese folk story, the Jade Emperor had called 13 animals to a meeting and announced that the years on the calendar would be named according to the order they arrived in.
• This led to ‘The Great Race’.
  • The rat travelled on the back of the ox, leaping from its back to nab first place.
  • The pig stopped for a snack and a nap and arrived last;
  • a cat was also in the race but drowned during the competition, leading to there being only 12 animals in the zodiac.
• I can envision this race and find it quite entertaining
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• The Chinese zodiac is an important part of the Chinese culture and provides guidance on how people live their lives
• The animals have been used in stories and folklore and to this day millions of people in China believe these predictions and “superstitions” that are described within the Chinese zodiac.
• 2020 is the year of the rat

• The Rat is the first sign from the 12-animal cycle of the Chinese astrology.
• This makes 2020 special – a year of new beginnings and renewal for everybody.
• Are you interested now?
• The rat is characterized as an animal with spirit, wit, alertness, delicacy, flexibility and vitality.”
• it symbolizes wealth, intelligence, success and wisdom to the Chinese.
• Who would have though – a rat?
  • An animal we easily dismiss
• According to my research, The Year of the Rat is going to bring us creative energy.
• This is important for all of us who want to execute on projects we have in the works or are dreaming of
  • This makes it a great addition to the many episodes I have dedicated to goals and new years resolutions
• This is our year, my friends
• The lunar calendar supports this
• And even if you don’t believe in it, take it simply with you as information and maybe as an additional push and motivation to get going on your goals this year
• And unlike some years, the Year of the Rat is like this for everyone, no matter what animal you were born as.
• In addition to the year of the rat, I learned that 2020 is a Metal year.
• Five Elements Theory is a Chinese philosophy used to describe interactions and relationships between things.
• The five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water — are believed to be the fundamental elements of everything in the universe between which interactions occur.
• In Chinese astrology, each of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs is associated with one of the five elements, which is known as the fixed element of the sign:
  • For example – I am a rabbit based on my birth year and my element is wood
• If you are curious about your sign and element, google it and read up on it
• You don’t need to believe in it, but its good to know it
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• Metal is the elemental energy associated with WISDOM.
• Wisdom is developed by going through many cycles in our life and learning from each cycle.
• The Metal elemental energy is said to be particularly powerful in helping us to let go of old junk–both physical and emotional, making much room for new treasures.
• It makes sense to me:
• Often – in order to start something new, we need to let something old go
• For me this almost always true
  • To eat healthier, I need to let go of habits that have me eating badly, such as snacking
  • To make more time for my developing my speaking career, I need to let go of other activities that keep me occupied
• There are some interesting customs associated with Chinese new year
• For example:
  • People clean their houses to chase away bad luck,
  • Often, the doors and windows are being repainted, usually in red.
    • These are then decorated with red paper strips with different wishes of happiness, prosperity and long life written on them.  
  • All debts must be paid by New Year’s Day.
  • Nothing should be lent on this day – anyone who does so will be lending all the year.
  • One should not use bad language, unlucky words, negative terms and the word ‘four’, which sounds like the word for death.
  • Death and dying are never mentioned and ghost stories are totally taboo.
  • References to the past year are avoided as everything should be turned toward the New Year and a new beginning.
    • I like that! Don’t look back – look forward.
• There you have it
• Lunar New year
  • a strong, lucky and prosperous year, no matter what your native Chinese animal sign is. 
• a great year for both starting something entirely new, as well as growing and evolving with something existing  
• Now – go out and wish friends and coworkers that you know celebrate this holiday a happy new year
• And go out and start working on your goals

Happy Lunar new year my friends