Well, hello there! Can you believe it’s been a whole week since I last wrote? Time has been flying by – it’s almost February! Unbelievable. Before you know it, summer will be here and we’ll be halfway through 2014. Someone please invent a device that slows down time! I’ll be forever in your debt.
This week I will be covering Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse. I was looking forward to writing this blog because, quite honestly, I knew next to nothing about the Chinese New Year, much less the Year of the Horse. Hold tight because a whole lot of learning is about to happen! Considering that a part of our casino is Asian inspired, we will not only be observing this holiday, but we will be celebrating it in great style! Before I begin with how we’ll be celebrating it, I would like to share facts and traditions that I found most intriguing:
• The Year of the Horse starts on January 31, 2014, and will end on February 15, 2015.
• People born in the Year of the Horse are considered lucky, kind and energetic. They may sometimes talk too much, but they are talented and cheerful.
• Wearing new clothes and being polite to others on the first day of the New Year sets the tone for the year.
• To welcome the New Year, re-decorate your entire house. The preferred color to use when redecorating is red because it scares away evil spirits.
• The Chinese New Year has 12 animals, which include: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. They cycle each year.
• 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 are all the Year of the Horse. The next one will be in 2026.
Now, on to the celebrations! We will have a Baccarat Tournament and live entertainment that is sure to be memorable. Hot seat drawings will be held at Baccarat and Pai Gow tables Monday through Thursday this week from 2-10 p.m. The winner will receive $88 in cheques and a seat into the tournament on Friday. All other rated players that are actively playing at that table will receive $25 in cheques and will be placed in the alternate pool. The tournament will begin on Friday at 12:30 p.m. First through ninth places of the Final Table will receive a cash prize ranging between $480 and 8,800. On February 9, we will have Dam Cuoi Dau Xuan- “Beginning of Love” perform in the Global Event Center at 8 p.m., but first the USA Chin Woo Dragon Lion Dance Group will be putting on an elaborate show for us. The group will start out at Mist, take a detour through Beijing and end up in the Global Event Center. Is it just me, or would anyone else’s day be made if a dragon came up and danced for you while you were sitting at a game?
This was certainly a learning experience, and I hope it was for you too. Next time, I will be talking about the Tour of London. By then it will be February and I expect some progress on that time-slowing device! I hope you all have a safe, fun, productive and everything else that’s good week!
