Today is Chinese New Year! It’s the year of the Ox.

I don’t know if you fall into the category of believing in Chinese Zodiac signs, but I do. I enjoy learning about characteristics and traits and see if they match with the person I might know with that sign. I do it with astrological signs. That being said, if you are the year of the ox, and this is your year, let’s see if your personality and characteristics fit:

Oxen are honest and earnest. They are low key and never look for praise or to be the center of attention. This often hides their talent, but they’ll gain recognition through their hard work. They believe that everyone should do what’s asked for them and stay within their bounds. Though they are kind, it’s difficult for them to understand persuasion using pathos. Rarely losing your temper, they think logically and make great leaders.

Is that you?

I remember as a kid, celebrating with with a Pilipino family that lived down the street from us, our families were great friends. Their oldest son and I were the same age and their youngest and my sister were the same age, the middle kid, well, he was in the middle, ha ha, and we all played together. We would play after school, at holidays and over the summer, the family would come and stay at our summer house. AL, the oldest used to drive my mom crazy, he would make that dripping water noise with his mouth and cheek, it drove her insane, mostly because he would do it in the middle of the night. Ha ha.

Back to celebrating…They observed a lot of Chinese traditions, the boys went a Chinese school every Saturday, much to their chagrin, in Chinatown in NYC, how many of you wanted to go to school on Saturday to learn a new language, on top of going to school during the week. The most fun was celebrating Chinese New Year with them. Foods, traditions, stories, the red envelopes. Oh yeah, the red envelopes.

It is tradition to give the gift of a bright, beautiful red envelope (known as 紅包, hóngbāo) to friends and family. It’s not just any old envelope…The red color symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese (and other East Asian) cultures. Here are 8 Things You Should Know about the Lucky Red Envelope.

I was a kid, so of course, I looked forward to getting those red envelopes and they always had money in them, but it was usually $2 bills! I know you won’t be surprised, I probably still have a few of those envelopes, might even have the money in them. But even then, as much as I enjoyed getting money filled envelopes, I knew they were special, not just because of the money, there was history behind them, I knew there was something.

As I mentioned, with the envelopes, there was laughter and joy, their house was always full for the celebration, so many people sharing moments, food, and stories. What more could you want?

I’ve been in different places for Chinese New Year to see the celebrations, including the fireworks, dragons, dancing, parades and so much more. There is nothing like it! I hope to travel the world to see more celebrations! We saw some celebrations in Hawai’i, I remember a celebration inside a mall! I’ve seen them in New York City, and Philadelphia, PA, it’s not something you ever forget and I hope sometime in your life, you get to experience the wonder and splendor and come back and tell me all about it!

I will leave you with a traditional Chinese New Year greeting: I wish you a year of abundance and prosperity. Xin nian hao.