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Three Goats Bring Harmony

Feb 25, 2015 | intercultures’ Culture, Unkategorisiert

 

Note: The following article was included in the Jan. 2015 intercultures e-newsletter and has been slightly revised for inclusion in this blog since the start of the Chinese New Year. Email the Editor to receive our next bimonthly edition in your inbox well in advance of website postings. We offer fresh, intercultural information and insights for working better globally.

wooden goat

It happens every 60 years and has a significant impact on global business annually. The Year of the Wood Goat[i] has returned as the theme of the 2015 Chinese New Year. As with the start of every Chinese New Year (CNY), business slows or stops while over a billion people around the globe clean house, travel to see family, give gifts and celebrate. Also called the Lunar New Year and celebrated as the Spring Festival, this cultural tradition dating back 4,000 years has in recent decades become recognized for its importance to the global business world. Know the basics.

  • The first day of the CNY fell on 19 Feb., though some businesses in China began to close down as early as the first week in February and will remain closed until late February or early March. CNY is the longest public holiday in the country with most Chinese off work from 18 Feb. (New Years Eve) to 24 Feb. Beyond China, national observances in Hong Kong and Taiwan are shorter in duration.
  • Common CNY symbols include red posters with poetic verses (and the color red in general); fish (symbolizing prosperity); firecrackers (symbolizing good luck); and festival lanterns (symbolizing the pursuit of what’s bright and beautiful). For CNY 2015, it is said that brown, red and purple are lucky colors; the numbers 2 and 7 (or numbers containing 2 and 7) are lucky numbers; and that Aug. and Nov. are lucky months.
  • Common CNY greetings include “Sunshine around you,” “New Year’s progress,” “Happiness and prosperity” (when receiving gifts) and “Happy New Year”! “Three goats bring harmony” is an old favorite greeting for a year of the Goat. Many people send and receive CNY greetings via text (SMS).
intercultures thanks our China consultants and customers for their partnership as we work better together globally. We wish our global network sunshine around you throughout this Chinese New Year!

Information sourced from China Highlights and Time and Date.

[i] In the Chinese zodiac, Wood is one of five elements and the Goat is one of 12 animals that cycle in on an annual basis as the theme of each Chinese New Year.