Happy 4713!
The Chinese New Year begins today, Feb. 19. Welcome to the Year of the Sheep.
If you were born in 1967, ’79, ’91, 2003 or '15, you are a "sheep." According to Chinese Zodiac beliefs, you are sensitive, friendly, artistic and kind.
Whatever year you were born, we can all celebrate this lunar new year with last-minute ease. Make dumplings and eat tangerines, traditional foods for the holiday. Light a lantern. Do a dragon dance and wish children, family and friends luck and prosperity by giving them coins or money in lucky money envelopes like the pretty gold-embossed one pictured above. I ordered it from Arte Crafts, an Etsy shop. They’re $3 for six envelopes.
I also found lucky red envelopes at some Hallmark Gold Crown stores, including Barnett’s Hallmark on Gaskins Road and Matthews’ Hallmark at Willow Lawn.
Chinese New Year customs also reference interior design trends. Turns out this year is also called the “Year of the Wood Sheep” and “Year of the Green Sheep.” Green is a lucky color for the year but so are red and purple. Use these colors in your décor and, by tradition, good fortune may follow.
You can also honor The Year of Sheep with sheepskin furnishings. Take this “Tansy” chair ($2,000) from Arhaus. It’s upholstered in furry sheepskin from Tibet. And with a nod to a precise New Year’s name, it’s made of solid wood.
