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Lolyco.com

In January 2009, Lolyco.com is giving away a free Ang Pow with every order, to mark the Chinese New Year of the Ox. Chinese New Years (CNY) are based on a lunar calendar and the northern solstice, so the festival falls usually in late January or early February. The Chinese animal zodiac consists of twelve animal signs in a cycle. Most of 2008 was the Year of the Rat, CNY in 2009 marks the start of the Year of the Ox.

Ox Year People

People born in an Ox year are said to be patient, tireless and gain prosperity through hard work. Born leaders, they are quiet, systematic thinkers who benefit from a peaceful environment in which to consider their options and make plans. Ox people are truthful and honest, and have many friends.

Ang Pow

Ang Pow, meaning ‘red envelope’, is a gift of money given to mark a special occasion. The red of the envelope is for good luck, while the money inside is usually in certain auspicious amounts. At Chinese New Year, it is traditional for married people to give Ang Pow to their unmarried relatives, and for adults to give Ang Pow to children. The amount of cash in Lolyco.com’s free Angpow won’t make you rich, but like a seed grows into a beautiful flower, maybe it will be the start of a prosperous New Year of the Ox for you.

恭喜發財 Gōngxǐ fācái / Gong hei fat choi / Kung hei fat choi

The traditional greeting for Chinese New Year can be pronounced many different ways, depending on what Chinese dialect is used. Mandarin (official Chinese) is spelt in pinyin (A-Z with pronunciation marks) Gōngxǐ fācái. The other two ways I’ve shown here are similar to Hakka (my ancestors!) and Cantonese (Hong Kong area) pronunciation. In Malaysia, you’ll see all kinds of wonderful spellings around CNY!