Chinese New Year

[Keith Oates]

Tonight out here it New Years eve and already the fireworks are lighting up the sky and the bangs are loud. It's only 20.20 hours so goodness knows what it will be like in about three hours time.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU

 

[Maz]

Happy New Year, KO. I knew it was close, but didn't realise it was tomorrow.

Being nosey but what are you doing in China? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to...just say something mysterious-sounding or whatever.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Year of the Rat I think. Wot's a rat got to do with it?

Rats - another year in China perhaps?????

 

[Aperitif]

Kung Hei Fat Choi - or a derivative... I work with several Chinese people who are taking time off...lazy sods Makes Chinatown here in London a "little bit busy".

 

[Pete]

Happy....

...everyone!

 

[Landslide]

I remember being told this story of how the animals got their order in the Chinese Zodiac:

http://www.blss.portsmouth.sch.uk/hsc/cny/zodstory.shtml

Well done, Ratty!

 

[Keith Oates]

Happy New Year, KO. I knew it was close, but didn't realise it was tomorrow.

Being nosey but what are you doing in China? You don't have to answer that if you don't want to...just say something mysterious-sounding or whatever.

Mysterious sounding but I've been here a few years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Keith Oates]

Kung Hei Fat Choi - or a derivative... I work with several Chinese people who are taking time off...lazy sods Makes Chinatown here in London a "little bit busy".

Kung Hai Fat Choi to you also but that's Hong Kong ( Cantonese) not Mandarin, not to worry every one is welcome, it's a very big night out here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Arch]

Hoorah. This is the excuse I need to have a Chinese Takeaway (bit of a treat at the moment, cash wise).

Happy Ratty New Year!

Come on then Keith, what is happy new year in Mandarin then? Although from what I know of Chinese, the intonation is as important as the pronounciation.

 

[Keith Oates]

You're right Arch, but after a (good) few beers I don't recall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pete]

Hoorah. This is the excuse I need to have a Chinese Takeaway (bit of a treat at the moment, cash wise).

...just so long as the takeaway isn't made from bits of the animal being celebrated ...
Might be better to wait till next year (Year of the Ox). Can't go wrong then. As for me - I'd probably have to wait until Year of the Dragon...

 

[summerdays]

First I knew of it, was one of my children coming home with Chinese sweets to celebrate the New Year.

What determines when the New Year is ... is it a movable feast like Easter and pancake day?

 

[Aperitif]

Hoorah. This is the excuse I need to have a Chinese Takeaway (bit of a treat at the moment, cash wise).

Happy Ratty New Year!

Come on then Keith, what is happy new year in Mandarin then? Although from what I know of Chinese, the intonation is as important as the pronounciation.

Ef yew ku ki boi ? (Porobably not... )

 

[Arch]

First I knew of it, was one of my children coming home with Chinese sweets to celebrate the New Year.

What determines when the New Year is ... is it a movable feast like Easter and pancake day?

Not sure - it's usually about this time of year...

<goes away to google>

 

[Arch]

Apparently the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, based on the phases of the moon and on the sun

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunisolar_calendar

So I guess the Chinese new year will be moveable, against our calendar (which is solar). But perhaps not as much as a purely Lunar calendar like the Islamic one?