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[T376]The Chinese New Years

by Stephanie Foster, Ste

However, it should be noted that many do not stick to their resolutions. Why is that?

All too often it comes down to either an unrealistic resolution or insufficient planning to pull it off. It's easy to say you will do something; harder to actually do it.

Then comes the pressure. You feel bad because you aren't doing well enough or you're really having to work at your resolution. Your resolution just doesn't quite fit into your already established routines.

If you want to stick to it you're going to have to work at it. You're going to have to find a way to make your improvements. There has to be a practical way.

Making a New Year's Resolution work requires dedication. But if you really want it to work you have to forgive yourself your mistakes. Most people aren't perfect about adhering to their resolutions and it is failures like that which tend to make people give up.

Not sticking perfectly to a resolution isn't necessarily a failure. It's a lapse. It's not a failure until you give up. So why give up?

Using the ever popular "lose weight" resolution as an example, do you really think you've failed just because you go ahead and have a decadent dessert one night? Or those potato chips keep calling to you until you give in and eat them?

You don't have to treat yourself as though you can't stick to that diet just because you had a little something you shouldn't have. Rather, you should get right back on track as though nothing happened. That may be contrary to your usual diet habits, but it might just be an improvement.

If your resolution requires that you make major changes to your lifestyle, don't drive yourself crazy trying to do it all at once. Break things down into steps. You'll give yourself more time to adapt and actually succeed with your resolution.

The new year is a great time to make changes to your life but it's also a common time to start giving yourself a hard time for just being human. Make your resolutions sensible and practical for the way you live your life and cut back on the pressure.

An ancient Chinese legend tells of a man-eating predatory beast called Nian, extremely fierce, with a long head and sharp horn. Nian dwelled deep in the sea the whole year long, but on every Chinese New Year's Eve it would climb onto the shore to devour livestock and harm humans in a near-by village. Therefore, every Chinese New Year's Eve, all the villagers would take their old and young deep into the mountains to hide from Nian.

One Chinese New Year's Eve a grey haired man appeared in the village. He asked permission to stay for the night and assured everyone that he would chase away the beast. No one believed him. In addition, the old man steadfastly refused to go to the mountains to hide. Seeing that he could not be persuaded, the villagers departed without him.

When the beast arrived at the village to wreck havoc as usual, it was met with a sudden burst of exploding firecrackers. Startled by the noise, the flashes of light, and red banners flying about, it hastily turned and fled!

The following day, as the people returned from the mountains, they found the village intact and safe. The old man had left, but they found the remains of the three precious items he had used to chase the beast Nian away. They all agreed that the old man must be a deity who had come to help free them of the beast.

From then on, every Chinese New Year's Eve, families would hang red banners, set off fire crackers, and light their lamps the whole night through, awaiting the Chinese New Year. The custom spread far and wide and became a grand traditional celebration of the "Passing of Nian" ("Nian" in Chinese means "year").

So celebrating the Chinese New Year should be called “passing of Nian” or “Guo Nian” in Chinese. However the term was gradually changed to “Spring Festival” after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took power in 1949. Gradually people have forgotten the legend behind these Chinese New Year traditions. It is merely one small example of how the CCP has robbed the Chinese people of their rich traditional culture.

New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) is working hard to reverse this loss. In its 2006 Chinese New Year Global Gala it actually put the ancient story of the Nian monster on stage. NTDTV's Chinese New Year shows are a unique opportunity to experience the magic of traditional Chinese culture. Marvelous music, ancient instruments, magnificent backdrops, splendid costumes, and first class performers--altogether make for outstanding entertainment reflecting China's 5,000 years of civilization and traditional culture--a culture rich in myths and legends worth cherishing and preserving.

Between January and March the 2007 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular will be touring Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and major cities in Canada, Europe and Asia. http://shows.ntdtv.com

Article Source : Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development

About Author

Both Stephanie Foster & Jason Huang are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Stephanie Foster has sinced written about articles on various topics from Credit Cards, Shopping and Pets. Stephanie Foster blogs at about being a work at home mom. Stephanie Foster's top article generates over 823000 views. to your Favourites.

Jason Huang has sinced written about articles on various topics from Energy Healing, Web Development and Keyboard Synthesizer. Jason Huang writes on cultures and traditions. For more info about NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular, please visit: . Jason Huang's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.