A Chinese New Year Celebration

DANBURY — Families and individuals of all ages are invited to Danbury Library to enjoy Chinese New Year festivities on Saturday, January 24, between 1 and 4 pm, in the Junior Services Department.

Activities will include drop-in crafts like making make Chinese lanterns and colorful origami from 1 to 3:30 pm; 1:30-2:30pm:  performances of the musical The Monkey King by Chinese Theatre Works, 1:30 to 2:30 pm; children’s folk dance and tae kwondo by HuaXia Chinese School in Connecticut, 2:30 to 3:30 pm; and a face painting workshop with Chinese Theatre Works starting at 3.

All activities are free of charge. Registration is not required. Danbury Library is at 170 Main Street, at the corner of West Street. For more information call Lesley Boruch at 796-1631.

The 2009 Chinese New Year will begin on Monday, January 26. This will be the Year of the Ox, which is also known by its formal name of Ji Chou.

Chinese New Year of Spring Festival is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year, especially by people outside China. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th, of the day of Lantern Festival.

The Chinese Zodiac is a 12-year cycle, with each year of the cycle named after one of the original 12 animals. Each animal has a different personality and different characteristics.

The Chinse Zodiac refers to a pure calendrical cycle; there are no equivalent constellations like those of the occidental calendar.

People born during the Year of the Ox are said to be patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. Then tend, however, to be eccentric, and they anger easily. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent.

Ox people are mentally and physically alert. Generally easy-going, they can be remarkably stubborn, and they hate to fail or be opposed. They are most compatible with Snake, Rooster, and Rat people.