In Chinese, the year that starts at midnight tonight the Year of the Yang (羊 yáng). Yang is an umbrella term that encompasses both goats and sheep – anything that goes “baaaa”, basically – which is why you might see it referred to variously as the Year of the Goat, Sheep or Ram.
Last year, I bought an astrology book from 7-11 (this might sound weird to those of you who don’t live in Hong Kong, but they’re available from almost every newstand and convenience store in this superstitious city). After translating fortunes for friends, family and a few lucky readers, I then put the book away and ignored it for the rest of the year. I flicked through it earlier and discovered that my own fortune came true in part – who knows what might have happened if I’d followed Mak Lingling’s advice to wear green every day… Any other readers have better luck with Chinese New Year fortunes?
This year, I’m thinking of visiting a proper fortune teller – look out for a post on that soon – but if you fancy a spot of DIY to see what the Year of the Yang has in store for you, I rather like this site.
祝你们身体健康！家庭幸福！心想事成！
Zhù nǐmen shēntǐ jiànkāng! Jiātíng xìngfú! Xīn xiǎng shì chéng!
(I wish you good health and a happy family!
May all your wishes come true in the new year!)
And now here’s a load of photos of sheep 🙂
Little Yak 