tips to get ready for new year

Organize, buy a new outfit, clean, declutter, re-arrange and refresh your decor.

Bulbs, such as daffodils or hyacinths, are especially auspicious. Display these bulbs or other flowers such as azalea, pussy willow, lotus, or peony.

Put out remedies and enhancements. Have remedies from the past year? Put them outdoors in the sunshine to cleanse them or wash them in salt water.

For breakfast, have a big glass of orange juice (oranges represent gold). And if you just have to eat at home, make it finger foods. Cutting and chopping food represents cutting your luck and work.

New clothes represent the new that you want to be bringing into your life. Put on something red for an extra boost.

The Chinese believe its bad to start the New Year by swearing, yelling at the kids, or getting angry or upset. So, take the day off from worry and anxiety. It might not be a bad idea to avoid the newspaper or the TV news Rent some funny movies to invite fun and enjoyment into your house for the new year.

Write wishes on ribbons or paper and affix to a tree to let them blow in the wind, much like a Tibetan prayer flag.

This is a critical part of the Chinese New Year festivities making sure your home is ready to welcome the auspicious annual energies and stop negative energies from coming into your house. Small feng shui changes can ward off a variety of problems from health and illness problems to loss of money and opportunities. Handling the negative annual energies means you can focus full on activating the years energies and the Snake has lots to offer in the year ahead

Its a very significant holiday in Chinese culture and the festivities extend over a period of two weeks. The Chinese New Year is accompanied by a belief in good fortune, and there are many decorations around to herald the new year.Chinese celebrators head to temples to pray for good luck during the New Year celebration period. There they burn incense sticks and can also have their fortunes told. If you are not of Chinese descent but would like to participate, attend a Chinese temple and take a tube of fortune sticks which can usually be found at the entrance to the temple. Ask a question, shake the tube and the number that falls out can be interpreted by one of the fortune tellers at the temple.

The color that is most recommended is red. Red is the color or symbol of good luck in Chinese culture. The number 8 also symbolizes good luck and wealth, as in Chinese the word for eight rhymes with fortune or wealth.Take care not to overdo the decorations. Display a few good ones to bring life and fortune from their brightness and colorful nature.Place flowers through the house, such as lotuses. Lotus flowers symbolize rebirth and new growth.Place mandarins in bowls throughout the house. Mandarins with their leaves still intact are the fruits of happiness for the New Year. Keep their numbers even though, as uneven numbers bring unhappiness. When offering mandarins to others, always offer them in pairs.Set out a tray of candies with eight different types of candies arranged along it. The traditional candies are those made from lotus seeds, longan, peanuts, coconut, red melon seed, candied melon