Gung Hay Fat Choy (may you prosper)

Today is Chinese New Year and although we are as Chinese as Old Glory, we ushered in the year of the rat with great gusto.

Last year, kid 1.0 got interested in celebrating Chinese New Year prompted by library books. So, for the second year, our wonderful nanny (we’ll call her Mary P.) orchestrated a celebration, complete with traditional stories, decorations, food and an Oni—a red-skinned, horned demon.

Kid 1.0 did the honors as the Oni, wearing a mask created by her and Mary P. We went into the backyard and Mary P. and I threw dried beans at the Oni, chanting “out with the Oni, in with good luck!”, a ritual we discovered in a library book.

So Happy Chinese New Year, and may you prosper in the coming months.

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You can learn more about Chinese New Year at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year