January 26, 2009 is starting Chinese New Year in lunar calendar.
According to Wikipedia: "Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional Chinese holidays. It is sometimes called the Lunar New Year, especially by people outside China. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: zhēng yuè) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th; this day is called Lantern Festival. Chinese New Year's Eve is known as Chúxī. It literally means "Year-pass Eve"."

This is going to be the YEAR OF THE OX! (born year 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997...) People born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. They tend, however, to be eccentric, and bigoted, and they anger easily. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent. Ox people are mentally and physically alert. Generally easy-going, they can be remarkably stubborn, and they hate to fail or be opposed. They are most compatible with Snake, Rooster, and Rat people.

BEFORE NEW YEAR's EVE The celebration actually starts on New Year's Eve with the reunion dinner. By New Year's Eve, you should have done the following:

• Clean the entire home to get rid of all the things that are associated with the old year.
• Put away all brooms and brushes.
• Pay all your debts.
• Resolve differences with family members, friends, neighbors and business associates.
• Buy the following: red money envelopes, oranges and/or tangerines, circular candy tray, flowers (especially plum blossom, peach blossom, water lily), a new set of clothes and shoes for children, preferably something red or orange.
• Get new dollar bills from the bank. Insert the new dollar bills into the red envelopes. Now the red envelope is called a lee see or lucky money envelope. (note: Very few modern families follow all the "cleaning" traditions.)

As an Chinese speaking Real Estate agent, we have been busier than ever since it is holiday time. Quite the opposite as to Christmas, or Thanksgiving holidays.  Many of Chinese oversea investors or parents finally have time off from work from Asia, and now coming to New York to visit family or vacation, therefore, the demand for appointments to check out properties are much more than other times. If you would like to know how to invest in New York city and take an advantage of the year of the ox,

call us at (646)644-6929 or email at ehsu@elliman.com today!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Kung Hay Fat Choy (the Cantonese way of saying happy new year).