chinese new year

Saturday is a very special day for some Devils Lake residents as it marks the Chinese New Year, the beginning of the Year of the Tiger.
Families, like Paul and Kelly Jia’s of Devils Lake, will gather for a party and special meal to commemorate the occasion.
The Jia family own and operate the First Buffet House Restaurant in downtown Devils Lake. They are originally from China but are U.S. citizens.
It is the most important traditional festival which symbolizes union and new hope for the future. All the Jia family will make sure to be home in Devils Lake on Saturday for the celebration.
The Lunar New Year is celebrated primarily by people of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, and Mongolian heritage in many parts of the world. Parades, parties, and other special events are common.
The tiger is one of the 12 symbols of the Chinese zodiac - all animal symbols. The 12 animals that appear on the Chinese Zodiac calendar include a rat, buffalo (ox), tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. It is believed the year you were born determines characteristics of your personality.
Born in the Year of the Tiger:
People born in the year of a particular animal are said to share characteristics with that animal. Individuals born during the Year of the Tiger are said to be courageous and to possess hidden reserves of strength. They are also thought of as candid yet mysterious. Famous people born in the Year of the Tiger include Marilyn Monroe, Stevie Wonder and Tom Cruise.
The Jia family will be having a special meal with family and a few selected friends for their New Year’s celebration. Gifts for the children will be special red envelopes and will contain a token gift of money. Special decorations are also part of the celebration of the New Year. Paul promises to cook a meal of authentic Chinese food, which he says is quite different from the American Chinese menu served at their restaurant.

SINGAPORE: The travel industry is seeing about 20 per cent more business this festive season compared with 2009, as more people take the opportunity to travel abroad.

Some travel companies are seeing a surge in travel bookings this Lunar New Year period, with people booking two to four weeks earlier this year.

Brett Henry, VP, Marketing Division, Abacus International, said: "As people get more confident, immediately they reach out to that discretionary fund and go and do the things they enjoy and certainly travel is on the top of that list.

"And one of the first major holidays coming into 2010 is Chinese New Year, so we saw in the last half of 2009, a big surge in pre-bookings for the Chinese New Year holiday. And that just accelerated itself.

"So as the bookings started, prices started to increase and travellers stumbled over each other to try to get the last few seats remaining. And if you are looking last minute now to buy a trip to go somewhere for Chinese New year, I think you will find it difficult to find a seat at all. It is certainly near impossible to find a seat at any type of discount."

Travel agencies said they started seeing signs of a strong rebound in the last quarter of 2009, from both business and leisure sectors, and expect the trend to continue this year.

Observers said the urge to travel this year is probably fuelled by Valentine's Day and a long weekend.

Alicia Seah, senior VP, Marketing & PR, Commonwealth Travel Service Corp, said: "In view that this year Chinese New Year falls on a long weekend, and coincides with Valentine's Day, Singaporeans feel that it will be more meaningful to get away with their loved ones. I think they need only to take three days off, to enjoy a seven to 10-day holiday programme.