Lunar New Year 2013

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! (Also known as Chinese New Year.) 2013 is the year of the snake so that means that you'll need steady progress and attention to detail. So focus and discipline will be necessary for you to achieve your goals!

I've been so excited for this day to come (it's one of my favorite holidays) but the preparation has been gruesome. Last week, we had to go to temple to thank the Gods (Buddha, Quan-Yin, etc.) for granting our prays and giving us a good year.

Then for the rest of the week, we cleaned the house and bought things we needed for the New Year. (Most of the things we bought was food though.)

FUN FACT: When the new year comes, it is best for the house to be clean as if the house was new. It's also the time when people get new clothes. ^^

On the day before New Years (yesterday), we had to pray that god will keep us healthy, safe, and bring a good year. We also had a good feast of foods that are to bring good things in the upcoming year. Then, later at night, we went to 3 different temples to pray for the new year and receive red envelopes and more fruit.

We don't usually go out to the temples but this year, it was crucial for my mom to. Why? Well, it's the year of the snake and my mom's Chinese Zodiac is a snake. When the year is your zodiac, you are going to have tougher luck. Next year is crucial too (because it's my dad's year.)

Anyways, our trip to the temples was interesting. The weather was not good at all. It was snowing for most of the day and also most of the night. It wasn't too heavy but it was still snow. The snow made driving really slow and it was a very hazardous trip. We were gone for about 3-4 hours at night in snow. Let me tell ya, in times like this, you've got to expect a few car crashes, slick roads, and even drifters. In less than an hour of our car ride, we saw one car turn 260 degrees. It was pretty scary to watch. Luckily, the driver didn't crash into anything and there weren't many cars around. Then, on the highway, there was a total of 5 cars on the side that seemed to have crashed. Later, we also saw a car crash occur at an intersection. It was small but it was still a car crash.

The third temple was probably the best visit out of all of them because we actually did something that was worth remembering. We arrived at 11:06 PM and the ceremony was already starting. This was a Vietnamese Temple so I couldn't understand a single word they said. What they did was recite from the "bible" and the people had to stand there as they recited. I managed to go through it all the way without tiring but I almost fell asleep (It was almost 11:30 at that point.) Luckily, there was a really loud drum and gongs to wake me up near the end of the ceremony! Plus, there was firecrackers and fireworks (scaring away the old year) to get my energy up!

We didn't get home until about one o'clock but it was worth the long trip.
It was a very long day but I'm so pumped for the year of the snake! Gong Hay Fat Choy!

♥Petpet

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