Get Ready for the Year 4077: Part One

To semi-quote artist currently known as Prince, “Are You Ready To Party Like it is 4077?” Yep it is time to make plans to Welcome the Year 4077 and though many dub the upcoming event as Chinese New Year, in fact billions celebrate the New Year on January 26.  So why argue?  Just party. In fact if your employer doesn’t give you the day off with pay something is wrong though the industrious sort stagger back to work the next day anyway. Anyhow in most ‘western’ nations including Hawai’i ,most ‘Chinese’ New Year celebrations commence January 23 — a Friday, which is an excellent excuse to party all weekend.

Now that I give the matter more thought, with Barack Obama’s Inauguration on January 20^th, heck, celebrate the entire week through the 27^th? 4077 is the Year of the Ox and this is Your Year if you were born in 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997 by the Western Calendar. Those born under the sign of the Ox tend to be generous kind unselfish though equally stubborn often mistaken for being narrow minded, steadfast and loyal to family & friends, Their colors tend to be red & gold. To quote Ross John Robert:

Mine is the stabilizing force
That perpetuates the cycle of life.
I stand immobile against the
Test of adversity,
Resolute and unimpeachable.
I seek to serve integrity,
To bear the burdens of righteousness.
I abide by the laws of nature
Patiently pushing the wheel of Fate.
Thus I shall weave my destiny.
(http://www.pa56.org/tigersigns.htm

Lucky You Live Hawai’i — though the New Year Celebration is a great reason to visit historic Chinatown and the Arts District, the whole island will be partying with increasingly popular events in Market City, Waipahu, Pearl City and elsewhere. That said, let us start by quoting Mayor Mufi Hanneman and listing the downtown Honolulu happenings in honor of the Year of the Ox 4077.

http://www.chinatownhi.com/

I am pleased to invite you to join the City and County of Honolulu and its many partners in Chinatown to celebrate the Month in Chinatown as we approach the Year of the Ox. The weeks preceding the Chinese New Year, January 26th, will be filled with food and cultural activities, colorful parades, lion dances, and all the festivities we associate with this time. Once again the public and private sectors have come together to pool our resources to ensure an exciting and memorable calendar of events for residents and visitors alike. This partnership, first introduced in 2006, grows stronger each year.

This is what makes Chinatown so exciting. Chinatown is still evolving and changing. Chinatown continues to incorporate a rich mixture of cultures, people, and activities, while maintaining a strong sense of identity. Chinatown bustles with vitality and activity and it’s this spirit that will ensure another successful celebration.

Aloha and Kung Hee Fat Choy! 2009 Chinese New Year Schedule of Events

Next on the Menu, one of the best places to ring in the New Year is the historic Market City Shopping Center at the crossroads of Kaimuki & Moi’il’ili & Makiki & etc. For this info the writer is grateful to the Honolulu Advertiser courtesy of Bright Light Marketing Reader Submitted; http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081230/GETPUBLISHED/812300362/1261/neighborhoods05:

“Market City Shopping Center will ring in the Year of the Ox on Saturday, January 31, 2009. The annual festivities will begin at 10 a.m. in the back parking lot (facing Kaimuki High School), and will feature powerful performances by the Taiko Center of the Pacific and Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association throughout the shopping center, as well as firecracker popping and free fortune cookies.

Everyone is welcomed to join in the celebration!

What: Market City Shopping Center’s Annual Lunar New Year Celebration

Featuring: Performances by Taiko Center of the Pacific and Wah Ngai Lion Dance Association, Firecrackers and Fortune Cookies

When: Saturday, January 31, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon

Where: Market City Shopping Center, 2919 Kapiolani Boulevard (back parking lot facing Kaimuki High School)

Information: Call 734-0282

Next time around I will venture beyond town to list MORE Year of the Ox 4077 (2009) Celebrations.

My friends tell me to check out the Ox-Tail Soup at The Kapiolani Coffee Shop which can be found in Aiea (tough trivia question)

Tags: Arts, Celebrations, Chinatown, Honolulu, Market City Shopping Center, Year of the Ox