China

Chinese New Year

Every year shortly after our New Year on January 1st the Chinese prepare for their very special New Year on January 31. This date changes year to year. 

How many of us have gone to a Chinese restaurant and looked up our Chinese zodiac? Well I sure have! I am the Monkey; "I am charming and energetic." 

Want to find out your Chinese Zodiac sign? Click on the link below.

http://www.astrology.com/chinese-astrology 

What is the Chinese New year?
The Chinese New Year is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated at the change of the Chinese calendar; in China it is also known as the Spring Festival.  Traditionally this holiday is to celebrate deities and ancestors with feasts and celebrations galore. The year changes in dates depending on the lunar New Year.

Traditions:
The traditions of the Chinese vary widely. One tradition is a family reunion dinner. Families come together to celebrate the new coming year. Before the celebration it is mandatory for each family to cleanse their homes of anything that may cause bad energy. By ridding themselves of the bad energy they open up room for new luck and fortune in the New Year that is upon them. A color that is seen as a window for good fortune to come into their homes is red. All Chinese families dress up their homes and themselves with a bright red color. The home is filled with many red antiques and decorations. Red lanterns are the most commonly seen on this special day.

Other activities:

You can go to the center (city) of every village to participate in the towns festivities. The town festivities start with a carnival with many small stands from the towns markets selling different goods for the New Year. These stands usually have flowers, toys, clothes and even fireworks! If you're out in town then you should also stay for the parade. The parade has dancers that show off Chinese tradition. An absolute must see is the dragon that flies through the parade line to feed to the New Year excitement. 

Don't forget to stop in next week to see what other exciting holiday we can celebrate! What holiday does your culture celebrate in your country? I am always open to suggests just leave me a comment in the box below and we could be flying out to your country next week! 

Adventures of The Guatemala Lake ATITLAN

Guatemala! 

Lets pack our bags and fly over to Guatemala to visit their great lake Atitlan. Today we will not be celebrating a specific holiday but we will be taking an adventure to the wonders of the lake Atitlan and other Guatemalan traditions.

Although this is not a holiday remember that you do not need a specific day to celebrate. Celebrating is a part of life that should be done often! So let us get up and begin celebrating! 

Guatemala is a country in Central America with a population of over 15 million. The name Guatemala is directly translated to "place of man trees." Guatemala is considered a tropical island with many exotic flowers, fruits and animals. With the island being completely surrounded by large bodies of water the plant life on the island is well feed resulting in beautiful scenery. 

Guatemala reflects strong Mayan cultures with Spanish influences. Their dress attire varies depending from which village they descend from. Each village has a color pattern that they put into their skirts, blankets and capes (sweaters). The reason they wear these colors is so that other villagers can identify where others come from. Although Guatemala is small there are many different traditions that separate the all villages so having a color pattern to identify each other is a peaceful way of going about things. Not all villages are friendly so it is important to know who is around you. 

The lake in Guatemala is called Lake Atitlan. Lake Atitlan was once known as the most beautiful in the world. Lake Atitlan is 26km long and 18 km wide and its origin is Volcanic. Lining the shores of Lake Atitlan about a dozen small villages and in order to travel from one village to the next they travel by boat. The waters are calm and crystal blue during the day travels but at the strike of 3pm the chocomil begins. Chocomil means chocolate milk in Spanish but has a very different meaning for people in Guatemala in reference to Lake Atitlan. The chocomil starts at 3pm and it is a combination of the winds from the north and the south collide. This collision creates waves that have been explained as uncontrollable. Many have been killed during the chocomil and there have been countless shipwrecks due to the waters flipping boats and drowning their passengers. The beautiful waters of Lake Atitlan are definitely a site to see but also very dangers. 

Don't forget to celebrate everyday of your life although the calendar doesn't mark the day you should always celebrate. 

Next week we will travel to another beautiful country. 

Where shall we go? 

Please comment on the box below and our next vacation could be to your dreamland!