Chinese New Year - Year of the Rooster

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year of the rooster We celebrated Chinese New Year last Saturday night. Granted, it was a little lackluster compared to other years. No lion dances nor dragons nor bright red Chinese lanterns nor parades to entertain us. Instead, we had stir-fried veggies and chicken which had been marinated in a soy and Chinese Five Spice concoction and served over rice for dinner. There was fresh pineapple and fortune cookies, served in red cardboard Chinese take-out containers, for dessert. That's about all the celebration we could muster up. I read that 1/5 of the world's population celebrates this holiday in a big way. Man, are we ever slackers.

year of the rooster at bellagio las vegas

The Rooster is the tenth in the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle. If you were born in 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 or 2017, you're a rooster. Being an ox myself, I'm fortunate to be married to a rat (really?), a very compatible sign.

My Chinese horoscope for the year indicates I'll be lucky in love and career (career? what's that?). I'll have the blessings of some auspicious stars, but it appears I'll spend more money than I make. Darn … I hate when that happens! David, my compatible rat sweetheart, “will suffer damage and loss in the year. Generally, as [he] clashes with Tai Sui (inauspicious star), [he will be] prone to have many quarrels and unnecessary disputes leading to bad luck in wealth. “ Fortunately, my three auspicious stars might help him out, too. We're hoping for the best.

chinese new year bellagio las vegas

On Sunday, Mary suggested heading to the Strip to the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden to view their Chinese New Year display. It's always amazing how they're completely able to transform the gardens from one theme to another. We walked through the 16' Moon Gate where a 10' animated rooster welcomed us and heralded the start of the new year … 4715 on the Chinese lunar calendar.

moon gate bellagio

We ooh-ed and ahh-ed as we wended our way along the paths through a wonderland of floral displays. I might add, there's no admission fee for the gardens … so, based on our horoscope predictions, we're being careful ... spending less than we make.