Celebrating the New Year in Japan means paying special attention to the "first" time something is done in the New Year. Hatsuhinode is the first sunrise of the year. Before sunrise on January 1, people often drive to the coast or climb a mountain so that they can see the first sunrise of the New Year. The real celebration does not begin until sunrise when the traditional meal of vegetables, seafood and dessert is served in one dish - the different types of food symbolizing prosperity.
In Asia, sunrise celebrations and honoring of the ancestors and elders brings luck.
Koreans make wishes for the New Year while watching the sunrise. Some wear traditional clothing. Family members gather early in the morning to remember their ancestors. After the observance, they eat a kind of rice cake soup. Koreans believe that eating this food will add an extra year to their life. After the meal, young people lower their heads to honor their parents and older adults. This means good health and good wishes. Many parents give the children money.
Vietnamese people get up and put on new clothes at sunrise.
Mongolians have a tradition to climb the nearest sacred hill or mountain on the first morning of the New year, offering dishes and burning juniper and incense sticks to welcome the New Year.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2014 is the Year of the Horse, which begins on January 31, 2014, and ends on February 18, 2015. The Horse is the seventh sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal Signs. In Chinese culture, the Horse is a symbol of nobility, class, speed and perseverance. People born in the Year of the Horse are smart, fabulous speakers who have a gift for getting through to other people. They believe that their aim in life is "to seek individual freedom and happiness." People born in the Year of the Horse share certain characteristics: Self-reliant, joyful, outgoing, sophisticated, resilient, arrogant, and quick-witted. Exciting and extroverted, vivid and animated, Horse people like to entertain friends with their humor and appeal. They are bursting with energy, are the life of any party they attend, and always looking for the next party event. They are sharp-minded, dress fashionably, gifted with a silver tongue, and have acute insight. Famous Horse People: Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Cherie Blair, Cindy Crawford, Ellen Barkin, Halle Berry, Helena Bonham Carter, Jacqueline Susann, Joanne Woodward, Princess Margaret, Rita Hayworth, and Robin Wright Penn.
Plan on being early enough to witness the sunrise. We'll start to gather around 6:30 a.m. and hang till about 7:30 a.m. then head to breakfast. Happy New Year Everyone.