Bill and Sue-On Hillman Celebrate

2015-2016 Edition

YEAR OF THE RAM / SHEEP /GOAT
www.hillmanweb.com/newyear

   .
.

click for full-size collage

SEE PART II
Sue-On Discusses the Importance of Chinese New Year
THE BRANDON SUN
www.hillmanweb.com/2012/news2.html

Gung Hei Fat Choy
From
Bill and Sue-On Hillman
Bill Hillman ~ Sensei Shintani ~ Sue-On Hillman
The Hillmans pose with Sensei Shintani
~ Head of Wado Kai Karate for North America ~
Following their Shodan Black Belt presentations
ASIAN MARTIAL ARTS PAGE
www.hillmanweb.com/karate.html



CANADIAN COMMEMORATIVE COINS


..
 .
.
Year of the Ram
Chinese New Year
2015
marks the beginning of the
Year of the Ram
and
Year 4713
of the Chinese Calendar
.
THE WESTMAN CHINESE ASSOCIATION
Visit Our Manitoba Chinese Association Site to see
THE CHINESE HEAD TAX MONUMENT 

and hundreds of photos of the 
CHINESE WINTER FEST PAVILION

from 2008, 2009 and 2010
See the itinerary and photo journals of these gala events at:

www.westmanchinese.com
www.hillmanweb.com/china
.

5 Reasons Why We Love Chinese New Year
Sina China News ~ 2014-01-21
Spring Festival is nearly here and already there are the usual "China travel chaos" stories hitting the headlines. We thought we'd give you something something positive about the New Year and tell you why we love it. Have a great Year of the Horse! 

We get a holiday…kinda
Number one on our list -  the few precious days off you get. Of course, it wouldn't be China without a catch or two. The fact that you have to work "make up" days before and after the holiday slightly dampens the "holiday spirit" (especially when you're sat at your office desk on a Sunday morning). Tied to the lunar calender, the holiday changes each year and a special committee has to decide when we're lucky enough to get time off. However, spending those days resting at home or taking your chances and travelling across China are definitely worth it.


Food! Glorious Food! (and drink)
We hope you've got, or are in the process of getting, gym membership as over the holiday you'll be invited to and eat at dinner after dinner after dinner. As with Christmas and Thanksgiving, Chinese New Year is a time when family gets together and eats their combined weight in food. Not only that, but it's a Spring Festival tradition to eat copious amounts of dumplings too. Think of it as being more like a 2013 after party; you ate your way through Xmas, you drank your way through December 31/January the 1, now that everybody is back to work at home (UK, USA etc) you get to do it all over again!


CCTV New Year Gala
With levels of surrealism that only highly nationalistic state broadcasters can achieve, the CCTV New Year Gala is traditional viewing for families across the country (even if the TV is probably left on in the background as the family eats and drinks). Billed as a huge spectacular, the event itself is filmed in front of an audience in a small studio, making it seem at times like an endearing amateur dramatics company putting on a variety show. That being said, recent years has seen a few international names make appearances, including Celine Dion who sang in Chinese. Prepare for patriotic anthems, minority dancers, some token foreigners and lots of mentions of the "Chinese Dream".


Hongbao
Who doesn't like free money? Over the holiday there's a good chance your you'll receive a handful of hongbao, money given as a gift in a red envelope. Singletons will be happy to know that it's traditionally only married couples who give away hongbao. Receivinghongbao is just one reason why CNY is way better than Xmas - you don't get any unwanted gifts and you can spend the money you get anyway you see fit! Be careful though, wise relatives give generously and then win it all back with a few games of mahjong! So brush up on your mahjong skills now.
 


Beijing goes quiet
One final reason we love the Spring Festival holiday is that Beijing pipes down for a week or two (albeit for the fireworks). As people leave Beijing to go home to join their families for the festivities, the city becomes quiet. The tourist traps are as busy as ever but everywhere else slows down. You can even get a taxi when you need one! Construction halts and air quality improves slightly as factories shut down for the holiday. 
.
.
Years of the Sheep / Goat / Ram
02/01/1919-02/19/1920 ~ 02/17/1931-02/05/1932 ~ 02/05/1943-01/24/1944 ~ 01/24/1955-02/11/1956
02/09/1967-01/29/1968 ~ 01/28/1979-02/15/1980 ~ 02/15/1991-02/03/1992 ~ 02/01/2003-01/21/2004
02/19/2015-02/07/2016 ~ 02/06/2027-01/25/2028 ~ 01/24/2039-02/11/2040 ~ 02/11/2051-01/31/2052

The sheep (goat, or ram) is among the animals that people like most. It is gentle and calm. 
Since ancient times, people have learned to use its fleece to make writing brushes and skin to keep warm. 
As it is white, people describe delicate and precious white jade to be 'suet jade'. Thus it is close to the meaning of good things.

Personality: Strengths
Charateristics of people born in the year of Sheep are tender, polite, filial, clever, and kind-hearted. They have special sensitivity to art and beauty, faith in a certain religion and a special fondness for quiet living. They are wise, gentle and compassionate and can cope with business cautiously and circumspectly. In their daily life, they try to be economical. Women born in this year are willing to take good care of others, but they should avoid pessimism and hesitation. They are kind in heart and commonly have symmetrical figures and features.

Personality: Weaknesses
Sheep year people are often worriers who are shy, pessimistic, moody, indecisive, over-sensitive, weak-willed and puzzled about life. They are easily inclined to be deeply religious. They are timid in nature and like to be looked after by others. They like flattery, compliment and suggestions from friends. They do not dare to express their love openly and usually have interests in strange theories. 

Horoscope and Numerology Elements
Earthly Branch of Birth Year: wei
Wu Xing (The Five Elements): tu (earth)
Yin Yang: yin
Auspicious Directions: east, southeast, south
Lucky Colors: green, red, purple; Avoid: golden, coffee
Lucky Numbers:3, 9, 4; Avoid: 7, 6, 8
Lucky Flowers: carnation, primrose, alice flower
Zodiac Sign Compatibility
Best match: rabbit, horse, pig; Avoid: ox, dog

Celebrities Born in the Year of the Sheep / Goat / Ram
Michelangelo, Mark Twain, Thomas Alva Edison, Rudolph Valentino, Rachel Carson, Pierre Trudeau, Barbara Walters, Orville Wright, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Amy Lee, Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Danes, Jamie Lynn Spears, Matt LeBlanc, Chow Yun-Fat, Zhang Ziyi, Li Shimin (Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty 618 – 907), Cao Cao (King of Wei in China’s Three Kingdoms Period 220 - 280), Yue Fei (a patriotic general in China’s South Song Dynasty 1127 - 1279), Empress Dowager Cixi

Fortune Foretelling in 2015
It is their order to encounter the Year of Birth (Benming Nian), a year to offend “Taisui’, the god in charge of people’s fortune. In 2015, their fortune in all aspects will fluctuate. In career, there won’t be a promotion or salary rise. Only if they stick with their current job and work hard, will they smoothly get through the year. In wealth, they should be very cautious about any investment, or there will be a loss. In relationships, they are suggested to be tolerant of their family, friends and colleagues to avoid any conflict.

Career: They may encounter some road blocks in career in 2015, especially in March, June, September and December. In these months, their emotions will be fluctuant, so it is likely that they will argue with colleagues. In comparison, their fortune in career gets better in February, July and August. As long as they persist in working hard, they will gain much in the coming year. At any rate, no promotion will fall upon them in 2015.

Wealth: The financial fortune of sheep people will be just so-so. They should reduce daily expenses, or it will be hard to make ends meet. It is not a good idea to lend money to others. The investment in stocks, bonds and real estate should be stopped. People who are living in a rental house should keep doing this. Don’t buy a new house or move. Setting a fish tank in the west or north of the house may increase their fortune in wealth. 

Relationships: Sheep people can easily lose their temper in 2015. As a result, couples and lovers may argue. They should communicate with each other to solve the problem to avoid breaking up. Also this is not a good year to get married. Single males may get involved in a relationship, and females will still expect to get back their former love.

Health: They should keep away from sharp tools and weapons such as knifes, swords, saws and scissors, because they may easily get injured this year. In daily life, they should play sports and avoid eating too much greasy food. Sheep born in 1943 and 1979 need to be careful in driving and doing sports, especially in June and December.

Study: Sheep students will hardly be able to concentrate on study this year. They should adjust their emotions to focus on study. Some students’ study may be affected by family problems, so parents should pay attention to their behavior and try to be attentive to their children. Moreover, children may get infected some illness, which will influence their study.

.
RECOMMENDED SITES TO VISIT
TO CONTINUE YOUR CELEBRATION OF
THE YEAR OF THE RAM
The Chinese Calendar
Chinese New Year: Wikipedia Entry
The Art of Chinese Calligraphy
Taboos and Superstitions of Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year Decorations
Traditional New Year Foods
Chinatownology New Year
.


CHINESE NEW YEAR DATES
Visit our previous New Year Pages:
Year of the Pig: 2007
Year of the Rat: 2008
Year of the Ox: 2009
Year of the Tiger: 2010
Year of the Rabbit: 2011
Year of the Dragon: 2012
Year of the Snake: 2013
Year of the Horse: 2014
.
Chinese Horoscope Signs & Their Corresponding Years
RAT OX TIGER RABBIT DRAGON SNAKE HORSE SHEEP MONKEY ROOSTER DOG BOAR
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911
1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923
1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935
1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947
1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031
                                                                                                                                                                                     Reference


ANIMAL CHARACTERISTICS

 
RAM people are elegant, charming, generous, wise and gentle. They are also pessimists, hesitant, and over-anxious worriers. Uncertainty causes the Ram people to seek guidance from others while their timidity prevents them from becoming great leaders. They are deeply religious and highly talented in the fields of art and music. Ram people should be good in the professions of gardening, actor, artist, entertainer, musician, or photography.
Ideal Partner: Boar, Horse
Ram Years: 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
HORSE year people are popular and hard workers. They have financially sound minds and are adept at handling money matters. Whether male or female, Horse personalities feel more comfortable in the company of their own kind. They are independent and self-willed individuals who never take advice. Horse people should choose a field as a dentist, financier, banker, or politician.

Ideal Partner:  Tiger, Ram
Horse years: 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002

Those born under the sign of the SNAKE are romantic, passionate, charming and well informed. Snakes are intellectuals, philosophers, and deep thinkers. They strive to succeed in all that they do. The are extremely self-critical. Snake personalities often make their way to the top. They ensure that they are in the right place at the right time, which means when the right people are there as well. Snake people should seek their fortunes  as professors, writers, philosophers, or psychiatrists.
Ideal Partner:  Dragon, Dog
Snake years: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
The DRAGON symbolizes life, growth, and brings blessings of longevity, virtue and harmony. Dragon people are born extroverts, their opinions and ideas are worth listening to since their advice is usually the best. Elegant and with a good eye for spotting the latest trends, Dragon people are always to the forefront of the fashion scene. Blessed with rich imagination, the Dragon always comes up with exotic ideas for new ventures. a Dragon should choose a career as artist, doctor, or architect.

Ideal Partner:  Rat, Monkey, Rooster
Dragon years: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012

RABBIT  people are happy, gifted, refined and ambitious. They also know how to draw others' attention and are great mixers in any social gatherings. The typical Rabbit will be submissive, even humble, in a constant effort to avoid confrontations. Rabbit is an excellent judge of character, with an instinct for recognizing sincerity in others and an almost uncanny ability for sensing falsehood. Hare people make wonderful receptionists, publicists, stockbrokers, and pharmacists.
Ideal Partner: Ram, Dog, Boar
Rabbit years: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

The TIGER is a born leader, fiercely competitive, and never afraid to fight. Tigers often get into difficult and hazardous situations because they live dangerously. Narrow-mindedness and suspiciousness are their greatest faults. Their careers exemplifies them as deep thinkers and careful planners. Tigers are likely to succeed in sales, personnel management. They can be a good military leader, supervisors, teachers, firemen, or police officers.
Ideal Partner:  Horse, Dragon, or Dog
Tiger Years: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
The MONKEYS are mischievous, vain, and clever. Their most prized traits are originality, creativity, and education. People adore Monkeys for their wit, high intelligence, and interest in world affairs. Older and wiser Monkeys are able to channel their energetic and rich imaginations into the solving of complex problems. Monkeys people can succeed in professions such as business, trade, law, stocks, industry and politics.

Ideal Partner: Dragon, Rat
Monkey Years: 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
The ROOSTERS people are industrious, diligent, and devoted to work. They love to travel because of their courageous and adventurous spirit. They are deep thinkers, but can often be eccentric. They are not at all shy and prone to exaggerate and boast on all matters. Rooster people make good travel and public relation agents, dentists surgeons, cooks, or beauticians.

Ideal Partner: Ox, Snake
Rooster Years: 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
People born in the year of the DOG are honest, loyal, and have a deep sense of duty. Their intelligence and industrious nature make them good leaders in the business world. The Dog people are usually steady workers, they can easily become both trusted and valued members of any community. Those people born in Dog years would make a superior industry leader, priest, educator, doctor, writer, or scientist.

Ideal Partner: Horse, Tiger
Dog Years: 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
By nature, BOARS are peace-loving, trustful, honest, and sincers. People born in the year of the Boar will be lucky and successful in handling money, business and academic matters. They have a deep desire for knowledge and are generally well informed. Boars are the finishers, they are the ones who put the last necessary touches to a project. Boars are suited to be doctors, bankers, businessmen, scientists and entertainers.

Ideal Partner: Rabbit, Ram
Boar Years: 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
People born in the year of the RAT are blessed with great personal charm. The Rat is adaptable, aggressive, and creative. Rat people are hard working, thrifty, and can save a lot of money. They are elegant by nature and strive for the better things in life. Bright and gregarious, rat's intellectual versatility is not always immediately recognized. Rat people make good business people, accountants, and bankers. 

Ideal Partner:  Dragon and Monkey
Rat Years: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 
The OX is quiet, steadfast, methodical and can tolerate difficulties. Ox people are hard working and down to earth. They are exceptionally clever and creative with their hands. In business, the ox often brings prosperity, not through entrepreneurial imagination and risk, but as a result of logical thought, resolute practicality, and honest endurance. Ox people should seek their fortune as a surgeon, dentist, architect, tailor, or technician.

Ideal Partner:  Rat, Rooster, or Snake
Ox years: 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
                                                                                                                                                          .                                                                                         Reference

CELEBRATION
 
Chinese New Year (Nian) lasts two or three days, but the New Year season extends from the middle of the previous year's 12th month to the middle of the 1st month of the new year. It is a holiday celebrated by Chinese the world over.

In preparation, the house is given a thorough cleaning-- a sweeping away of any misfortune or bad luck during the year departing to make way for the incoming good luck and good fortune that will surely arrive during the new year. Doors and windows are given new coats of paint, and paper cutouts with the themes of 'happiness,' 'wealth' and 'longevity' are used as decoration around the home. Special flowers and fruits are also often used as symbolic decorations for prosperity and good fortune. Peach blossoms are said to bring long life; good fortune is represented by the kumquat's golden fruits. Offerings of food may also be left at the altar of ancestors.

New Years' Eve is carefully observed, with all members of a family dining together. Supper is a joyous feast, with jiaozi served-- dumplings boiled in water. (The word literally means 'sleep together and have sons,' a traditional good wish greeting for a family.) Fish is also traditionally served (the Chinese character for fish sounds the same as that for 'abundance'.) There is also served a vegetarian dish with a special seaweed called fat choi, a word similar in sound to that for prosperity. Noodles accent the wish for long life.

Every light in the house is supposed to stay lit for the whole night. At midnight, the sky erupts in a colorful display of fireworks and firecrackers. The New Year has arrived!

Early in the morning, after sunrise, the children receive their hong bao (red packets, often containing money) from their parents. Then the family visits door-to-door to exchange New Years greetings-- first to relatives, then to neighbors. In some Chinese neighborhoods, mandarin oranges are also exchanged as offerings of good will and good fortune.

The New Year is a time of reconciliation. Old grudges are set aside, and the atmosphere is marked by warmth and friendliness. The visits continue for several days, marked by  a great deal of gift giving. Passersby greet one another in various dialects: Sun Nean Fai Lok and Xin Nain Kuai Le (Happy New Year) or Kung Hey Fat Choi and Gong Xi Fa Cai (May Prosperity Be With You).

Fifteen days after New Years' Day, the celebration's end is marked by the Festival of Lanterns. It is a time for lantern shows and folk dances ... and another reason to feast. Another kind of dumpling is traditionally served-- tang yuan-- sweet rice balls that are stuffed with sweet or spicy fillings.

Chinese New Year is like a combination of Thanksgiving and Easter that celebrates the sacredness of the family and presents a time of renewal. Food, naturally, is central to the New Year. But unlike the reminiscent Thanksgiving turkey, everything eaten during the two-week Chinese tradition — which begins in 2000 on February 5 — holds auspicious meaning and is believed to directly affect one's fortune for the coming year.

One tasty ritual during the New Year period is eating cake, both sweet and savory. After steaming, they are cooled, cut into bite-size pieces, pan-fried, and served with oyster sauce. Cake is eaten for breakfast and whenever visitors stop by. What's the fortuitous significance? Rice flour, which symbolizes cohesiveness; the round shape, which represents unity of family; and the slight rising of the cakes, which  indicates rising fortune.

If eating your way to good fortune sounds like a fine idea, try the three Chinese New Year's cake recipes:

New Year's Cake
Called Neen Gow in Chinese, this chewy cake contains glutinous rice flour to symbolize cohesiveness and peen tong brown candy to represent the sweetness of life. It is the most important cake of the holiday and is served only during the New Year celebration.

Turnip Cake
Law Bock Gow is served on New Year's Day as a symbol of  prosperity and rising fortune. You can also find this savory cake on the menu throughout the year in dim sum houses. The texture of savory cakes such as this and Taro Root Cake is similar to polenta.

Taro Root Cake
The savory Woo Tul Gow is often served in dim sum houses, but is unsurpassed when made at home using generous amounts of what Young calls "the good stuff": Chinese dried scallops, bacon, and mushrooms.

Red Lucky Money Envelopes
It is Chinese tradition to wish  family and friends "Gung Hay Fat Choy" with red envelopes containing gifts of money.



Fireworks and Family Feasts
At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival
In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year event.
 


GOOD FORTUNE

red lucky money envelopered lucky money envelope
Introduction to the Chinese Calendar
Send a Chinese New Year Card
Chinese Calendar

Chinese Fortune CookieChinese Fortune Cookie

DIM SUM
[DIHM SUHM]
Cantonese for "heart's delight," dim sum  includes a variety of small, mouth-watering dishes such as steamed or fried dumplings, shrimp balls, steamed buns and Chinese pastries. Dim sum  — standard fare in tea houses — can be enjoyed any time of the day. Unlike most dining establishments, servers in a dim sum eatery do not take orders, per se. Instead, they walk among the tables with carts or trays of  kitchen-fresh food. Diners simply point to the item they want, which is served on small plates or in baskets. Each item usually has a set price. At the end of the meal, the check is tallied by counting the  dishes on the table. Some dim sum restaurants add the price of each dish to a check that remains on the table, clearing dishes as they are emptied.
Chinese Cuisine


SUE-ON'S FAMILY ODYSSEY
Sue-On's Food Odyssey (hundreds of dishes from over the last year)
Sue-On's Seven Day Food Log
FATFREE Archives' Chinese Recipes
Chinese Recipes



CHINESE LIFESTYLES
Sue-On Hillman
VISIT
SUE-ON'S 
FAMILY
ODYSSEY
www.hillmanweb.com/soos
Dishes from Sue-On's Kitchen Over the Last Year
Sue-On's 7-Day Food Weblog Adventure
Making Sesame Balls For Chinese New Year
Making Lobak Goh Chinese New Year Turnip Cake
Making Joongzi Sticky Rice in Bamboo Leaves
Making Joongzi: Pictorial with Students
Sue-On's Seafood Birthday Feast

CHOY FAMILY HISTORY
Sue-On China Home: Then and Now
Pictorial


HILLMAN SOO'S ARCHIVE & VIRTUAL TOUR SERIES
presents
HILLMAN ASIAN ADVENTURES

Hundreds of Photos of the Hillman Asian Visits with Captions
CHINA
MALAYSIA / SINGAPORE
Singapore ~ Malaysia

Over 1,000 3D Stereocards of Ancient China
www.hillmanweb.com/3d/china3d

Click for Collage

GOLD MOUNTAIN ON THE PRAIRIES

featuring Karen Tam's Chinese Restaurant Exhibit
at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba
www.hillmanweb.com/tam
 


Wado-Ryu Karate Links

Zen-Tao Chi-Kung Tai Chi
www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/Rabbit.html
Taoism and the Philosophy of Tai Chi Chuan
Tai Chi Society


Hillman Martial Arts Compendium: Wado-Kai Karate
A VIRTUAL TOUR of SOO'S CHINESE RESTAURANT
SOO'S RESTAURANT ARCHIVE: A Manitoba Landmark from 1970-2002
BILL and SUE-ON HILLMAN ECLECTIC STUDIO

HOME
To the Hillman Main Page
Home Address
hillmans@wcgwave.ca


 
 

BillSue-On