Two years ago some Chinese friends of mine took me to NTDTVs (New Tang Dynasty TV) live Chinese New Year Spectacular. It was a thrilling and enchanting music and dance performance, with traditional Chinese instruments and costumes faithfully recreated from old manuscripts, paintings and pottery. The dragons, drums and dancers all evoked the grandeur of Chinas great dynasties and legends of remote history.
Ancient Chinese traditions speak of harmony between heaven and earth. They say that humans were created by Gods. Culture as well as moral and spiritual guidance were also imparted to humans by divine beings during different times in history. When humans respect the Tao, the Divine Law or Way and follow Heavens order, society will be prosperous and peaceful.
Like most Westerners I knew next to nothing about the Chinese New Year. So I asked my friends to tell me more and share their favorite New Years memories. I learned that Chinese New Year is actually celebrated by almost a quarter of the worlds population in several Asian countries where it is the most important holiday of the year. It follows the Lunar calendar, and the date varies each year, depending on the...