Happy Chinese New Year (albeit a bit late). This is the Year of the Rat, a special occasion in our household, since LuLu was born in the year of the Rat. Unlike what we in Western cultures think, Rats hold a place of real honor in the ancient Chinese culture, and is the first animal of the Chinese zodiac. The legend contents that as the animals crossed the river to the Jade Emperor in a contest to see who would arrive first, it was the rat, clever fellow that he was, who climbed aboard the Ox’s back and then scurried up to Jade Emperor once the hard-working Ox had crossed the river.

We chuckle at this legend around here, given that LuLu is a Rat and I’m an Ox. And yes, I do feel like just as I get up on the shore, she sprints ahead of me!

Around here, our celebration of Chinese New Year has been sporadic. A few times, we’ve done something with her schoolmates, such as art projects or special Chinese food treats. This year, however, we had a great idea. Last fall LuLu got new shades for her windows, and as the person was cutting them to fit, we asked for the ends of the shades to use as scrolls.


So we spray painted them red, and then LuLu painted gold Chinese symbols on them to make them couplets, decorative scrolls that contain Happy New Year poems. Traditionally these are hung around the doorways of Chinese homes during the Spring Festival. So, we did.

Our couplets are a bit “different”, since none of us know Chinese. I had to rely on the internet to “teach” us how to write some Chinese symbols. So instead of wishing the household good fortune and a prosperous new year, our couplets say things like “girl” ,“big”, “sky” and “good”. Oh well…they are lovely just the same. And my little Rat thinks herself very clever for having made them!

Photo Credit: me and my Canon