China and Thailand
















Lotus Flower

The lotus flower holds great significance to the Chinese people. It represents a mild person who although is living in a polluted environment keeps themselves clean and healthy. The lotus flower represents creative power and purity amid adverse surroundings. It's also a symbol of the seventh month, (summer). There are many poems In China, that describe the lotus flower, as coming out of muddy water, and yet retaining a pure fresh natural beauty

An Old Chinese Poem:

The leaves having broke the bandage of the green stem, stretch themselves and form a green pool with untidy edges. Now the flower comes from out of the vast surface of the water, just like a very beautiful woman rising gracefully from her bath

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Chinese poets also use lotus flowers to inspire people to continue striving through difficulties and to show their best part to the outside world, no matter how bad the circumstances may be. This is understood as being just like the lotus flower, bringing beauty and light from the murky darkness that resides at the bottom of a pond

The symbolic characteristic of the lotus flower leads to the observation that the plants stalk is supple and easy to bend in two, but it is very hard to break. The reason is, it has many strong sinuous fibres. Once again poets use this to represent a close and unbreakable relationship between two lovers or the members of a family, showing that no matter how far away they may live, nothing, can separate them in matters of the heart.

In Buddhism the lotus flower symbolizes faithfulness. The golden lotus is mentioned in Buddhist sutras, and has two meanings, one is the symbol for the achievement of enlightenment, and the other points towards a real flower which is beyond human perception.

A lotus flower painting is said to influence our inner feelings to beauty and light. The lotus flower painting acts as a reminder to us of the miraculous beauty of life. It is a reminder that is communicated on an emotional level, and is said to aid both our spiritual and practical understanding of Tao, the world and our place within it.

The Chinese calendar

Technically the nature of the Chinese calendar is purely astronomical. For example: Each new mood is determined by an astronomical observation. Normally it is simply calculated. The following is a list of festivals that occur in the Chinese calendar these are observed as holidays in China. They are calculated by the location of observations for the 120° East (longitude of the Chinese time zone). However different locations around the globe are used in other countries and occasionally create a difference in date of up to one whole day.
Event Date

The Chinese New Year, and the following two days, are observed throughout much of Asia, normally wherever concentrations of Chinese people reside. There is a custom at that time to pay of debts, and get new clothes then clean the house. There is also tradition of a a big family meal. Also sacrifices are offered to the Gods. This is when presents of cash are given in small red envelopes.

Red is traditionally regarded as a lucky colour in China.

1997 07 Feb 2002 12 Feb 2007 18 Feb 2012 23 Jan

1998 28 Jan 2003 01 Feb 2008 07 Feb 2013 10 Feb

1999 16 Feb 2004 22 Jan 2009 26 Jan 2014 31 Jan

2000 05 Feb 2005 09 Feb 2010 14 Feb 2015 19 Feb

2001 24 Jan 2006 29 Jan 2011 03 Feb

Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival occurs on the 15th day of the 1st month. It is an important public holiday (known locally as Taeborum) in South Korea
Event Date

The belief is that spirits can be seen flying about on the night of the first full mood of the year, so people go out with lanterns looking for them.

These days the children go out with lanterns in the evening and roam the streets.



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