Tuesday, February 10, 2015

I can't wait for my plane to take off to the other side of the world!  Singapore, I'm coming to visit. Singapore is in Asia and is an island country. It will be Chinese New Year when I am there with family.  This year the date is February 19 and it is the year of the sheep.  Red is the color of this family holiday. Should be fun.

 If you Google Chinese New Year you can get pictures shown on https://www.google.com/search?q=chinese+new+year&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=tQTbVLu3PIOLNpL5gpgD&ved=0CEoQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=642

According to  Infoplease:

"Fireworks and Family Feasts

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

The Lantern Festival

In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events."


Read more: Chinese New Year: 2015 http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html#ixzz3RQ80UJB2
Hi everyone. Take a look at the cover of the second book in The Ninth Region Series. The black bear is Nettle, the older brother of Gloria and Nathan. The frog is of course Vincent. Vincent is becoming his own "person" and this picture depicts his character growth. What do you all think? It shouldn't be long now!!!
A new adventure is waiting to be discovered.