Happy Chinese New Year

xin nian kuai le ..... gung hay fat choy

I wish everybody who celebrates a happy new Year of the Dragon  - ah, you don't know what this is all about?

Well - the traditional Chinese calendar  is a lunar calendar, so the celebrations of the new year take place at some time between the end of January and the beginning of February. The Chinese call it the "Spring Festival" and it is the celebration of nature coming back to life. Like all big festivals you celebrate with your family, which means that each year around this time millions of Chinese are on the road (or train or plane..) to visit their families. And of course, there are  fireworks. After all, the Chinese invented fireworks ! What most Western kids like most about Chinese New Year are the red envelopes with money children and unmarried relatives get . More details about the celebrations here.


And where does the dragon come from ? The Chinese calendar  has a 12 year cycle and each year is named after an animal. Last year was the Year of the Rabbit, the new year is going to be the Year of the Dragon. People born in the year of a certain animal are said to have certain characteristics... well, if you want to know more, you can e.g. find more information here .

By the way, I was born in the Year of the Rooster...

 A colouring page with a dragon can be found on Jackie Chan's website in the "Kids Corner." 

Good bye, Princess !

I lost a friend - well, you might say, it was "only a cat", but she was more than just "a cat". She was a member of our family and  a good companion for more than 12 years. And on Friday I had to go to the vet and have her put down.

I got her when she was 11 weeks old and we had a close relationship. She had an incredible air of arrogance about her and seemed to be well aware of the fact that in ancient Egypt she might have been worshipped as a goddess. She was a real princess - but also a real cat who could live a real cat's life roaming the gardens of the neighbourhood, hunting and supplying the household with food.

I miss having to fight for access to my bed, my desk and my computer keyboard.  I miss nearly stepping on her when I walk into the kitchen.  I miss spending winter evenings opening and closing the balcony door, because a cat is always on the wrong side of a door. She was seldom satisfied with the service she got from me - and she never failed to tell me off. And I miss it.

And she was there when I needed someone to cuddle because I was sad. She listened patiently to everything I told her - and living together with her taught me that love and freedom can go together.

Bye bye, my dear friend - I am listening to our favourite music and thinking of you. And I am grateful that you shared my life.

Whose bed ?