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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Chinese zodiac has 12 signs and 5 elements (water, fire, earth, wood and metal).\u00a0This time it is the Year of the Fire Rooster.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it is also called Year of the Chicken or even Year of the Cock, because the Chinese character used, \u9dc4 or \u96de\u00a0 , is gender-neutral<\/p>\n
2017\u00a0is a leap year<\/a>,\u00a0with 13 months, the sixth month will be repeated.<\/p>\n As usual Aric had gone back to his hometown Parit Baru a few days earlier, to organise the festivities for day 3 of the CNY. Each year there is a dress code, this time everybody had to wear a flowery shirt, else you had to pay a fine…:-). There would be a BBQ party, a lottery\u00a0and a\u00a0\u00a0competition for the\u00a0most original\/beautiful shirt.<\/p>\n When I arrived\u00a0on day 3\u00a0late in the afternoon, the preparations were already in full swing. It is a tradition that I visit a waterfall with my friends on day 3, but this time we failed to reach the planned waterfall\u00a0after a long hike. Here is my\u00a0report: An unsuccessful waterfall trip<\/a>. So I was\u00a0rather exhausted\u00a0when I\u00a0reached the family house. But in this picture I still look quite fresh with my new shirt and surrounded by flower girls..:-).<\/p>\n Aric had bought my flower shirt, told one of his cousins about it, who liked it so much that she bought an identical shirt for her husband…:-).<\/p>\n