Celebrate Chinese New Year 2013!

Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, the longest and most important festival in the Chinese calendar begins this year on February 10, 2013 (or 4711 !)and lasts for 15 days until February 24th, the day of the Lantern Festival. An exciting parade with marching bands, Lion and Dragon dancers, floats, music and fireworks is a major part of the holiday for many Chinese communities. Chicago's Chinatown parade will be held on Saturday, February 17 at 1:00 pm.

Chinese New Year's customs could be compared to rolling Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's into one long celebration! It is a time for cleaning and decorating the home, for hosting family reunions with special meals, for giving thanks for the past year's safety and good fortune and then sending special good luck wishes to all for the coming year. On Chinese New Year's Eve, families will feast on pigs, ducks, chicken and sweets, grownups will give the children Li Shi, good luck money in little red envelopes, children will wish their parents Shou Shi, " Live long,"  and then everyone will welcome the New Year with firecrackers!

The Chinese calendar is represented by twelve animals of the zodiac chosen by Buddha, one for each year of 12 years, whose animal qualities or powers should be seen in the personalities of people born in matching years. 2012 was the Year of the Dragon; 2013 is the Year of the Water Snake. Chinese legend says the snake is a little dragon who fell from the skies, and cannot fly. If you were born in the Year of the Snake, you might be calm, shy, smart, generous and wise; or you could also be cunning, ambitious, likely to argue, not one to be fooled with.

If your family wishes to join in the spirit of the 2013 Chinese New Year, read a few holiday books together or visit the links above to learn more about the parade and the special  customs and history of this colorful festival.

Pedal Your Way Through the Month of May

Growing up, bicycling was a taste of freedom and preferred way to explore my neighborhood and community. Now, as a mom, I enjoy this healthy and eco-friendly method of transportation. No matter what the reason it's easy to celebrate National Bike Month! The City of Des Plaines and Mayor Marty Moylan, an avid bicyclist, have paved the way for our residents to consider cycling throughout the city by implementing policies and systems for safety and convenience.  You might have read how city engineer, Derek Peebles, has been passionately leading the way for the cyclist cause as well as Des Plaines receiving a Cook County Model Communities grant for more than 120 new bike racks in this article by Active Transportation Alliance.

What can you do this month?

- Clean off the dust and debris of your bike and enjoy being active and healthy in the streets of Des Plaines.

-May 14-18th: Participate in Bike to Work week. Events and more can be found on the League of American Bicyclists website, national sponsor of Bike Month.

-May 19th: Visit the library table at the upcoming Spring Fun Fair at Mountain View Adventure Center from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. The fair has free activities for the entire family including a Pooch, Pet and Pedal Parade, free bike helmets to the first 50 children who need one, bicycle maintenance by REI and plenty of other fun. Visit www.DPparks.org for more information.

-Learn about bike safety, maintenance, types of bikes and even stunt and extreme cycling by utilizing library resources.

Make sure to visit the city's website for the many bike events this summer and throughout the year.