Story By Lark Ellen Gould    
Illustration By Rebecca Bradley

Welcome to Chinese New Year 2004, the Year of the Monkey. As legend has it, Chinese New Year all began with a monster called Nian. He was ugly and looked like a cross between a dragon and a unicorn. He came down from the mountains in China on the first and the 15th of each lunar month to hunt humans. But a wise old man in a village used a little reverse psychology to save the day. He asked people to organize together and conquer the monster by beating drums and gongs, burning bamboo, lighting fireworks, and otherwise making loud clatters to threaten this beast and send him back to his cave.

So on a moonless and freezing cold night, the monster Nian appeared again. The moment it opened its mouth the folks with firecrackers rose up in harmony and followed the poor hearing- tortured monster around until it dropped from a headache- allowing the people to destroy it. And so, on Chinese New Year, in the chill of winter's wrath, the drums beat and firecrackers pop in remembrance of monsters past.

Chinese New Year 2004 begins on January 22, the first new moon of the year, and ends 15 days later on the first full moon of the year. Ringing in the new year is celebrated as a family affair with much honor extended to heaven and earth. According to Chinese lore, prosperity and health come to those who follow the ancient traditions. For luck, start the new year with an amazing feast of eggs, said to attract cash; mushrooms for creating opportunity; chicken, kumquats and oysters for good living; pig's tongue for profits; melon seeds for silver; and pig's feet to kick up the cash in gambling. It is also believed that giving money in folded red "lai-see" envelopes comes back fivefold. And a twitching left eye is immediate reason to run to the nearest casino and hit the highend gaming pit because as a good luck sign it doesn't get better than this. Another tip: avoid anything to do with the color white if you do not want to attract misfortune, and stay away from scissors and knives as it is believed they can cut your fortune into shreds.

Once you have mastered all these orders there's nothing like a lot of screaming, banging, shouting, whistling, and exploding to scare away last year's demons and to ring in a new year of prosperity. Happy New Year, or as the Chinese say, "Kung Hay Fat Choi."

	Dragon 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 Snake 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 Horse 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 Ram 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 Monkey 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 Rooster 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 Dog 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 Boar 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 Rat 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 Ox 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 Tiger 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 Rabbit 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011
	Dragon people are healthy, energetic, excitable, short-tempered, and stubborn. They are also sensitive, brave and they inspire confidence and trust.
	Snake people are deep thinkers, say little and possess great wisdom. They are quite vain and a bit stingy. They never have to worry about money and prefer to rely on themselves.
	Horse people are popular, cheerful, skillful with money, and perceptive. They are wise, talented good with their hands, and sometimes have a weakness for members of the opposite sex.
	Ram people are elegant and highly accomplished in the arts. They are often shy, always passionate about what they do and what they believe in. They are wise, gentle and compassionate.
	Monkey people are erratic geniuses. Clever, skillful and flexible, they are remarkably inventive and original. Having common sense, Monkey people have a deep desire for knowledge and have excellent memories.
	Rooster people are deep thinkers, capable and talented. They like to be busy and are devoted beyond their capabilities. They are a bit eccentric, interesting, brave, and always think they are right (and usually are)!
	Dog people possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire confidence in others. They care little for wealth and make good leaders.
	Boar people are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They study a great deal and hate arguments and quarreling.
	Rat people are noted for their charm and attraction to the opposite sex. They work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions and are likely to be perfectionists. They are thrifty and love to gossip.
	Ox people are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. They tend to be eccentric and are mentally and physically alert, generally easygoing, remarkably stubborn, and hate to fail.
	Tiger people are sensitive, deep thinkers, capable of great sympathy. Other people have great respect for them. They cannot make up their minds, are suspicious of others, courageous, and powerful.
	Rabbit people are articulate, talented and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted and are often financially lucky.