Year of the Goat butts in for healthy New Year
Ireland’s Chinese community is looking forward to the Year of the Goat butting out the Year of the Horse tomorrow night because, according to Dr Catherine Chan Mullan, president of the Irish Chinese Information Centre in Dublin, while it was a good year for making money, it was bad for the health.
The Year of the Goat is going to be much better, she predicts. “It will be a hard working year but a very healthy one,” she said.
The lunar New Year’s Eve is marked in China by paying debts, changing bed linen in keeping with a spirit of renewal, and giving presents in red envelopes to children.
“On New Year’s Day no one is supposed to say any bad words. Any bad words spoken on the day will make the whole year bad too,” Dr Chan Mullan warned.
Ireland’s Chinese community now exceeds 40,000 and their generosity of spirit means their Irish friends and neighbours get to join in their festivities. “What we will do on Friday is send away the past and welcome the future in true Chinese style,” Dr Chan Mullan.
Tomorrow night in Dublin the Chinese ambassador Sha Hailin will host a major night of cross-cultural entertainment at City West Hotel for more than 300 people.
The ambassador’s special guests will include the Minister for Children Brian Lenihan and Liz O’Donnell TD.
The event is being organised jointly by the Irish Chinese Information Centre and International Orphan Aid Ireland. The Irish Chinese Information Centre has been operating since last May and welcomes inquiries from Irish people.
The independently-run centre has been particularly helpful to the many Chinese students who have come to Ireland to complete their studies.
Dr Chan Mullan pointed out that the centre already works very closely with International Orphan Aid Ireland which helps Irish parents to adopt Chinese children.
The Irish Chinese Information Centre can be contacted at 01-6114666.
