Every year, China, along with countries around the world, ring in the Chinese New Year. This highly anticipated event is also known as the Spring Festival.
Many people are familiar with the western world’s New Year, which falls on January 1st. Because it coincides with the Gregorian calendar, it is the same date every year. The Chinese New Year coincides with the lunar calendar. On the lunar calendar, the first day of the month begins during the new moon. Because of this, the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year. However, it does always fall between January 21 and February 21.
The traditional holiday period for the Spring Festival lasts 23 days. The public holiday is celebrated for 7 days. This means those in Mainland China who celebrate the Chinese New Year get 7 days off from work. Another feature of the Chinese New Year is each year is always associated with an animal. The animals always go in a certain order and repeat every 12 years. These animals include:
Rat
Ox
Tiger
Rabbit
Dragon
Snake
Horse
Goat
Monkey
Rooster
Dog
Pig
Since the year 2020 is the year of the rat, 2021 will be the year of the ox. According to the Buddhist religion, Buddha promised gifts to all the animals who would come to honor him. Only these 12 animals came. Some Buddhists also believe that when babies are born, they inherit characteristics from the animal of their birth year.
HOW TO OBSERVE #ChineseNewYear
People all around the world celebrate this holiday. Traditional celebrations include lighting firecrackers. These firecrackers are supposed to scare off bad luck. It is also a ceremonial day to pray to gods for a good planting and harvest season. Many families host huge New Year’s Eve dinners. Children receive lucky money in red envelopes. Lantern festivals, colorful decorations, dragon dances, dumplings, desserts, and special wine are also a part of the celebration.
Just as there are ways to observe the day, there are also many things you aren’t supposed to do. The Chinese have a strong belief in good and bad luck. If you do any of these things on New Year’s Day, it will bring bad luck for the rest of the year:
Wash your hair
Eat porridge
Do needlework
Use unlucky words
Wash clothes
Sweep the floor
There are also things that should be avoided during the entire Spring Festival. These things include crying, killing, breaking dishes, wearing black or white clothes, using scissors or knives, and visiting people in the hospital.
While you celebrate, use #ChineseNewYear to share on social media.
CHINESE NEW YEAR HISTORY
The origin of the Chinese New Year goes back to the Shang Dynasty from 1600 to 1046 BC. During this time, people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods at the beginning of the year. The date of the Chinese New Year was established during the Han Dynasty from 202 BC to 220 AD. Through the years, different ways of celebrating the New Year evolved. In 1949, the Chinese New Year was renamed the Spring Festival.
When you take time to remember someone – WHAT is the “one” the “one” most remarkable… “thing” – that, you will always remember with LOVE?
“Just the best smile ever!”
Just looking at this PHOTO… reminds me to let everyone – focus on taking as many PHOTOS as is possible – and at all stages of LIFE. You may be young and ask, “Why take so many PHOTOS?” “Why would someone want too!?
There will come a day… when, you are older and grey – and you would like to show your children and grand-children what you looked like, when you were young. When you are seen older looking – with some white and or grey hair – maybe even a little on the “bent over on the back side” due to operations – and you no longer move in a hurry – and all that you can say, “There will come a day when you, too – will look and feel like I do, NOW!”
“BUT”…WHEN, you can sit down with the youngsters – and pull out a couple of boxes, and or old “PHOTO Albums” – NOW, just take the time for a real, “Show and Tell” session – telling all about you, “yourself” and all of the wonders in your world, that you were doing. The questions will be many…what was the occasion… who is that and is it someone we should know… where are they now… is it possible that we can visit them???
Something even better… leave a “legacy” of these old and remarkable PHOTOS adding the best of all, a story that they never heard before, because it is your “True Life” … who is in the photo and what they are doing and if at all possible – if there is a way to get in touch with them – with all of the latest of information – you never know – you just may have an eager historian in the FAMILY.
In the above PHOTO… my brother DENNY McClarren came home for “Thanksgiving Holiday leave” – I had just brought home… a large ham – and, just to see if it was the very best of hams – straight from “Krey Packing Company” in North Saint Louis – as I was working there, then – just had to try a couple of slices – and that, is what I have in my hands. But… with the excitement of the HOLIDAY SEASON – just had to give DENNY a complete up-date, of so much good news – and as I could talk and eat – DENNY must be thinking – that with all of this chatter – he is not getting a chance, to put a word in – so the best thing to do, is just “SMILE” and his “SMILE” with his beautiful red hair… looking so good – just lets me carry on and on!
“Some music to listen to – while thinking and remembering Denny as he floats on by on a nice big and soft breeze of a cloud!” “Just could be that… Cloud Nine!”
“Happy Birthday Baby Denny”
Denny McClarren Jr. in the arms of his Mother… Today the 24th will be the “Big 81” Birthday for little DENNY… Have a big and wonderful “Happy Birthday Denny” from all of us… down here… on the Earth Planet!
This looks like it was maybe your very “first trip ” which would be from the hospital to home? At the time that this picture was taken, in those days… the hospital would keep the Mothers’ in the hospital for at least three weeks… but that is not the case today. “You are in LUCK… to be able to stay in the hospital for a full three days!” D.V.
“Remembering our BABY-SISTER… EVE KAREN McClarren”
This PHOTO of “Eve KAREN ” with big brother, “DENNY” on the left in the photo and big brother “TOMMY” on the right.
I am taking this PHOTO on a very COLD day … that day was pre-arranged by a social worker, Mrs. Fearebacker working in the Civil Courts Building and in charge of cases of where children from the same family are placed in living arrangements… to where they can have the Courts collect from the Father of the Family… sufficient money for their weekly care.
The Courts would not collect this money from the father and send to the mother… so that the children and mother could live together…they would rather separate a family to where the children never get a chance to know and live with their own family…. but forever … remain strangers… for their entire life!
So… to pretend that the Social Workers are doing something constructive toward unity to be developed in this family and after many phone calls and letters … of which my Mother sent to the Civil Court office… for a family meeting to where we would all be able to meet in one place… just for a “visit” with our little sister “KAREN” … because none of us had any real hands on communication… with the others… and would never ever really get to know our very own blood relatives… as the way things were going!
This is the way that the “Social Worker” decided that we would all meet and have a very good and enjoyable time together.
The foster parents of and for our little sister, “Eve Karen”… were a Mr. Oscar and LaVerne Gonzales living in Robinson, Missouri and we three older children, living in the Orphanage and our Mother living in North St. Louis will all take whatever “BUS” transportation at that time… that was available and meet inside the “Civil Courts Building” at a certain time … and this would be only for a limited time of one hour VISIT… and it was on one of the coldest days… to hit in the downtown St.Louis area.
WE all had to find our own ways to get to the “Civil Courts Building” in the downtown Saint LOUIS area… as you can tell by looking at the background… You know right where this area is.
After this meeting, we left… and the report for the file that the social worker and the Gonzales concocted was deplorable…as they sat there not saying anything taking notes about what we said and did… and according to them… we did not do anything right… nor said the correct things… that they thought we should have said… they must deal with people in prisons where you may be seen… but NOT heard from!
“KAREN with big brother, DENNY … on his GRADUATION DAY” “1953” … This PHOTO is taken in front of the “German St. Vincent Orphanage Gymnasium” … 7401 Florissant Road, Normandy, Missouri.
We were in line to get on the “FERRIS WHEEL” one of the attractions on the grounds of the “ORPHANAGE” to attract lots of Visitors to and for this “Graduation-Picnic occasion.”
“If only this Photo would have been in color… You could see the terrific super and fantastic shade of “RED HAIR” and those freckles that DENNY has.”
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“This is with MOM and the three of us… February 1946 as our baby sister, “EVE KAREN Francisca McClarren” was born on the 16th… and when “MOM and DAD” took our sister to the “HOLY NAME CHURCH” to be baptized… and were asked what the baby’s NAME will be… he was told “EVE KAREN” … the Priest said … “there is not a “SAINT EVE KAREN” … DO you have a DOG?” … “I need a “SAINT’s NAME” ….So as not to hold up the ceremony… “MOM remembered that a “Francisca CABRINI” was in the NEWS … as just having been canonized a “SAINT” … so that is “HOW” our sister “KAREN” received her long and full name.
This was an “IRISH PRIEST” and his “IRISH brogue” was so strong … you could hardly understand what he was saying as the word “DOG” really sounded like “DOGUE!”
“This is “KAREN” with DADDY…. and of course the three of us – DENNY – ME – TOMMY … in the area where the “APPLE” trees were growing… every so often one of us kids… would run down and get a handful of ‘apples’ for friends but… for some of the kids… they could not eat the green “apples” they would get… a good case of the “runs” to the bathroom.”
That “SAILOR” outfit that “TOMMY” is wearing is the same “outfit” that “DENNY” wore on his solo trip to “OHIO” when he was only “four years old” … I did write about that trip a couple of times earlier… and posted the news-paper clipping along… giving all of the particulars of the long “trip” that little DENNY took … all by himself … when “DADDY” had to go to “CALIFORNIA” to work on the “NAVY SHIPS” during WWII … just some the exciting things that the “McClarren” children did during those “hard” times… and we all have lived a long enough time to tell about it!
“Just some of the memories of our little sister, EVE KAREN” … just good to have a few old PHOTOS … for a “BACK-up” otherwise… no one would believe… half of the good old days… when we were in the bad and hard times of a “WAR” and what “AMERICANS” all did to help our “COUNTRY” WIN… but we “ALL” just did that which we could… and we always felt good… for what we were able to do.!” D.V.
These are two PHOTOS… that I feel… that I will always be remembering my younger brother Denny, Jr. as they just show all of his LOVE for LIFE… when he was here on Earth and with us… less than two years ago!
This is that day… a very special day as Denny’s Birthday is on the 24th of January…once again to be remembered for all time …till we meet again! This is one PHOTO that really makes you think… will I or will I not be up in those … “Clouds of HEAVEN” … when the journey that I was on… that is… here on EARTH ended?
This is “DENNY” my younger brother and he still has those beautiful “Blue eyes” but, not all of the “freckles” as I remember … still though DENNY will always have that smile… it is still terrific and inviting… must be that good old “IRISH” part of being… “himself” … as all of the “IRISH” have a way of saying and sending tons of LOVE with just one big and wonderful smile… which would also make you just want to be… one of their favorite and “best of friends” of them all… forever!
The PHOTO of “DENNY” just floating above all of us in that big “HEAVENLY” soft cloud … seems to be saying to us … “THIS is the way to travel”
“If only we could … just hop on a nice fluffy cloud and drift around to wherever we wanted… it sure does seem to be lots of FUN and so relaxing with no worries… no concerns about traffic… all FREE with no cares in the world to contend with … what a terrific… way to travel!” “If only we could?” D.V.
Celebration of Life Day on January 22nd honors the children and grandchildren who bring joy to our lives. The day is a reminder that each child and each life is to be held as a precious gift with the highest respect and dignity.
Children grow up so quickly. They’re constantly learning new things and changing daily. Each day they delight us with their simple wisdom and observations. By spending time with children and demonstrating the care and love they deserve, we celebrate their life.
HOW TO OBSERVE #CelebrationOfLifeDay
Celebrate the children in your life. Share the day with a child, grandchild, niece or nephew. We’ve provided several suggestions.
Read a book with a child.
Get down on the floor and put a puzzle together.
Build something with your child.
Invite all the cousins to play board games.
Bake cookies and decorate them. Even the smallest child will learn something.
Make popcorn and watch a movie.
Tell the story of how Grandma and Grandpa met.
Get out the art supplies and create.
Visit a museum.
Show a teen how to change a tire.
Give a driving lesson.
Paint your fingernails together.
Everybody give the dog a bath.
Go swimming.
Make balloon animals.
Sing Karaoke
Use #CelebrationOfLifeDay to post on social media.
“DENNY McClarren, Jr., makes first long distance TRIP – alone” In other words… “all by himself!”
One of the Newspaper clippings about my brother, DENNY McClarren, Jr. travelling to OHIO from St.Louis… all by himself and was wearing a “NAVY Sailor ” outfit, just like his DADDY!
This was during the years of WWII when every family was making sacrifices … for the good of all AMERICANS!
“Those were the Days”
Just talking with someone about the WWII years and things happening that the young people of today… know nothing about! During those years we had “Air-Raids” – signal – lights searching the sky for “enemy planes ” – “Blackouts” and sirens blowing!
With the lights out, in the house, my brothers and I went outside to the corner of our block, not a bus running, no automobiles, no traffic of any kind… it was if … the world stood still! This was a good time for me to practice my cartwheels and somersaults – the intersection streets of Carter and Linton Avenue made a terrific and large “stage” for us kids to have fun!
My Daddy, had already put in three (3) two-year stints in the Army, but now he was being ‘called up’ for the Navy – to work in the shipyards – doing welding work. I wanted to go with him to California, but I had the “mumps” … my brothers were now well, and I couldn’t go anywhere!
Tommy was the “Lucky” one, to get to go to California with DADDY and then our Grandparents living in Ohio wanted for little Denny, Jr., to come up and stay with them on their farm! So, when all the arrangements were made little Denny would be wearing his little ‘Navy’ outfit which really looked good on him… he looked so very Patriotic… specially with the “WAR’ going on!
Denny, a little 4 year old chubby lad wore a well marked identification tag around his neck with full instructions to and for all of the bus station operators and drivers … concerning his destination to Circleville, OH on a Greyhound route direct to Columbus, and then transferred to Circleville OH.
Denny arrived well and happy on Tuesday at ‘Noon’ … since and after Mom and I were at the station on Monday evening to put little Denny Jr., with his luggage safely on the bus.
The Newspaper Reporter… stated, that little “Denny made the long distance travel record…. all by himself! ” How could you not notice a cute “Lad” full of Freckles and “RED” hair? “Everyone just fell in LOVE with “LITTLE DENNY Jr.!”
