On Dumplings, Dogs & Lanterns...

Gōngxǐ fācái!! : "Happiness and Prosperity!"

I would be remiss if I did not send out a greeting for the Lunar New Year, a celebration originating from the culture who developed the medicine I practice. The new lunar year starts this Friday, February 16th calculated according to phases of the moon. One of my favorite aspects of this holiday is the tradition to make and eat dumplings (my favorite thing!) because dumplings are said to resemble gold ingots, so the more dumplings you ate, the more wealth you would attract. (I’d better get myself down to Joe’s Shanghai! Who’s with me??!!) Today this holiday celebrated as a Spring Festival, and it actually lasts 15 days, ending with a Lantern Festival – the night of the full moon. It is celebrated by a quarter of the worlds population and is a bigger travel holiday than even Thanksgiving in the US!

As we also know, each year is thought to be imbued with the characteristics of an animal of the zodiac. What does this have to do with your health? Not a thing, but it’s fun to think about and gives us an excuse to reflect on ourselves. Dogs are loyal, reliable, communicative, hard working and brave. Other dogs of note are Winston Churchill; Elvis Presley; an amusing trifecta born in a consecutive three month period the summer of 1946: Donald Trump, George W Bush, and Bill Clinton; Madonna and lastly, my husband Brian. This seems to be an auspicious (notorious?) sign.

The Lantern Festival at the end of the Spring Holiday is a beautiful, light filled evening where, depending on the region of China, lanterns are lit and hung, or are released and float away, or are set afloat on the water. Traditionally, a riddle is written on the lantern by the owner, and everyone has to guess the answer, and the winner is given a small prize.

To that end, I’m celebrating by posting a riddle here and the first 3 people to answer correctly will ... [This goody is for the newsletter subscribers..sign up for future goodies!!]

For a comprehensive list of NYC celebratory events, check out Time Out's listings here

Wishing you health, peace, prosperity and springtime,

Annalisa