Happy New Year!

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! It's now officially the year of the dog! I wish all of you a happy and prosperous year filled with lots of adventures and lovely new memories. For those of you born in the year of the dog, may you have a lucky year ahead! 

For those of you unfamiliar with Lunar New Year, it is based on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar (aka phases of the moon), and is usually celebrated in January or February each year. The date will change depending on the phase of the moon. This year, we celebrated Lunar New Year on Friday, February 16th. Lunar New Year celebrations can last anywhere from several days to up to a month. It is predominately celebrated in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean cultures, but has of course expanded to include many other cultures as time goes on. 

Lunar New Year is usually celebrated with festivals, special foods (like rice cakes and sweets), games, music, fresh florals, and lots of fresh fruit. It's a really fun and special time in my family, and we enjoy celebrating the Lunar New Year as well as the Full Moon Festival in the fall. My siblings and I like to read our Chinese zodiac horoscopes for fun.

Want to find out your Chinese horoscope for 2018? Find out here.

This weekend, I wore an authentic silk set in honor of the lunar new year. My parents brought it back for me several years ago on their visit to the homeland. I'm glad that I can still fit it! Happy new year! It's going to be a great one!

Until next time,

Melissa