Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is the first day of the Lunar Calendar! Most of the Eastern Asian countries run on a Lunar system instead of the Solar one that we are familiar with. Instead of following the 365-day rotation around the sun, people in Asia follow the faces of the moon and determine the new month following a “full moon”.
Chinese New Year is a very festive holiday in Asia. People would spend its whole month celebrating, paying respects to the ancestors, and praying at temples. On New Year day, there would be many traditional lion dances and red envelopes (containing good luck money) being passed out to younger kids as they give blessing to their elders.
Addition to the Lunar calendar, the Asian and Pacific Islander also follow the “Chinese Zodiac.” The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 legendary animals, one animal representing one year. This year is the Year of the Dragon. A dragon is a legendary creature. All legendary stories about Chinese dragons are from the sky, which means heaven in China.

View the Happy Lunar New Year message from Obama!
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