The Year of the Tiger. On February 1st, pause and check out your calendar to notice that it’s the Lunar New Year - more commonly known as Chinese New Year. It’s a time of the year where many Asian countries observe the change of the new year using a lunar calendar versus the Gregorian calendar used by most other countries.
Do you know what your lunar calendar zodiac sign is? I grew up going to Chinese restaurants with my family and commonly read every line of the qualities and characteristics of each zodiac sign and learned I was the sign of the Pig. Each person is assigned a zodiac sign based on their birth year. Each sign notes the person’s common strengths and differences. Like many other personality assessments, the zodiac doesn’t tell us everything about anyone, but check it out and see how similar it is to yourself. You might learn something new about yourself. To find yours, click here.
Here are ways you can learn more about Lunar New Year and see it in action in the Boston community at large:
Visit your local Chinatown (in a socially distant fashion) and see what events are happening. For Boston’s Chinatown, click here.
Learn more about various facets of Lunar New Year and how it is celebrated.
For friends and family who celebrate Lunar New Year, wish them a Happy Lunar New Year and spend time with them and their family whether in physical space or online.
Lou Lim, LMHC, REAT is a licensed mental health counselor and registered expressive arts therapist (REAT) with a master's degree in Expressive Therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. He is a member of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association and on the committee for REAT credentialing. He has 13 years of experience in counseling and expressive therapy working with children, adolescents, teenagers, adults, and retirees.
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