Because of their abstract beauty, Chinese symbols, or characters, are widely used for decoration and tattoos. Posters, framed paintings, shirts, hats, and many more items
can be bought that are adorned with Chinese writing (other languages
like Japanese are also used). Below are some Chinese symbols with their
translations provided. Click the pictures for larger versions.
Motion capture is a method of recording body movements in 3D. It is typically used to animate computer-generated characters in movies and video games. In kinesiology and martial arts, motion capture can be an invaluable tool for studying body mechanics. Below are some videos demonstrating this technology.
Today starts the Chinese New Year which corresponds to the lunisolar calendar. The holiday is also called the Spring Festival and is celebrated by Chinese communities around the world.
Festivities around this time are driven by a desire for prosperity and
good will. For instance, houses are cleaned in hopes of expelling bad
luck and making way for good luck. Debts are paid. Grudges are
forgotten. Encouraging messages (such as 福
which means good fortune) are hung up everywhere. Presents are given.
On New Year's Eve, it is customary for families to reunite and enjoy
dinner together.
As
the new year begins, firecrackers and fireworks are set off in
multitude to cast out evil spirits and celebrate a fresh start. On this
day (the first of fifteen) dragon and lion dances are performed. Elders are visited by their descendants. Gifts of money are given to younger family members. People try to get as much good luck as possible.
Further festivities can be enjoyed for the next two weeks, including several birthdays. A couple examples are the God of Wealth's birthday tomorrow and the “common man's birthday” on February 16. On February 24 the new year's celebration is concluded with the Lantern Festival. For this fifteenth and final day of the Spring Festival, candles are lit and lanterns are paraded through the streets.
As you may have heard, 2013 is the year of the snake. More specifically it is the yinwatersnake. In Chinese astrological beliefs, birth years follow cycles. The twelve-year zodiac cycle goes like this: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and then pig. The ten-year elemental cycle is as follows: wood, wood, fire, fire, earth, earth, metal, metal, water, and then water. The two-year yin-yang cycle is, obviously, yin then yang. These terms combine to form one overall sixty-year cycle. Astrologers
use these cycles to determine the character traits and fortunes of a
person based on birth year. According to the sixty-year cycle, 2012 was
the year of the yang water dragon, and 2014 will be of the yang wood horse. The astrological beliefs are so widespread that Chinese
communities experience an increase in birth rates during dragon years.
Parents try to have their children born on those years simply because
the dragon is the best zodiac animal. If you are born in a year of the
dragon, so the astrologers say, you will be smarter, luckier, and more
successful in life than if you were born any other year. People born in snake years are said to be intelligent and influential, but they can also be manipulative and selfish.
