Replies to post #31 on iShares FTSE Xinhua China 25 Index Fund (FXI)

[Myself °¿°]

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.
The Chinese year 4706 begins on Feb. 7, 2008.

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.

Fireworks and Family Feasts
At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival
In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.

The Chinese Calendar
The Chinese lunisolar calendar is divided into 12 months of 29 or 30 days. The calendar is adjusted to the length of the solar year by the addition of extra months at regular intervals. The years are arranged in major cycles of 60 years. Each successive year is named after one of 12 animals. These 12-year cycles are continuously repeated. The Chinese New Year is celebrated at the second new moon after the winter solstice and falls between January 21 and February 19 on the Gregorian calendar. The year 2007 translates to the Chinese year 4704–4705. The year 2008 translates to the Chinese year 4705–4706.

Rat	Ox	Tiger	Rabbit	Dragon	Snake	Horse	Sheep	Monkey	RoosterDog	Pig 
 							(Goat)				 
 1900	1901	1902	1903	1904	1905	1906	1907	1908	1909	1910	1911 
 1912	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919	1920	1921	1922	1923 
 1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935 
 1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947 
 1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959 
 1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971 
 1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983 
 1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995 
 1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007 
 2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019 
 

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0002076.html

[EquityTrader]

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