Gong Xi Fa Cai - bye bye piggie, hello rat

Pastel by Katrina Lee

In my recent preoccupation with the move, I neglected to acknowledge that February 7 was the first day of the Lunar Month of the Chinese calendar. That means it was Chinese New Year 4706 yesterday, the darkest day of the month, ending with a lantern festival 15 days later when the moon is at it's brightest.

As a "Gwailo" living in Toronto with no family nearby, it is easy for Chinese New Year to pass by uneventfully for me. But rarely does it go by without some recollection of myself in a pretty new dress, sweating at the back of a steaming hot car, on the way to visit and pay respect to my ten great grandmothers, whom I only knew by their number in-line. Often these visits would often include receving red packets filled with money from strangers. Such is the tradition.

This year happens to be the year of the Rat. In the cycle, the Rat is the first sign of the Chinese Zodiac, beginning the sequence, recurring every twelfth year, and signifying new beginnings. I am a Rat from 1972 and this year represents 3 lunar cycles after I was born and if Chinese astrology proves right, probably a new direction in life for me.

Kong Hei Fat Choy!