As you may know, we’re currently enjoying the Year of the Goat according to the Chinese lunar calendar. While Americans often just reserve a few days to celebrate the Western calendar’s New Year that falls on January 1st, China and other Asian cultures often continuously celebrate the Chinese New Year with events throughout the year. Recently, a video emerged that shows to what heights the people in Hunan Province, China, have taken their Year of the Goat hoopla.
According to The Telegraph, celebrators in Hunan Province have rigged up one of the largest kites in the world—over 2,600 square meters in size and weighing over 500kg—to carry three little black goats in baskets over a park in the province. A popular way to celebrate Chinese New Year is kite-flying, both a popular pastime in China as well as a symbolic gesture to “let go of negative feelings” and experiences of the past years. Not much can be found in terms of the “whys” or the “hows” or even the “what-happened-nexts,” but forget the party horns and confetti. Surely launching baby goats in the air in hopes of a peaceful future devoid of bad juju sounds like one of the more interesting ways of saying “Happy New Year!”
Here’s the video of the cool event:
Feature Photo Credit: “2015 new year card with black goat. illustration” by Kalenik Hanna | Shutterstock
Michelina DelGizzi
Michelina DelGizzi, MS, MPH, is a writer and caseophile based in Boston and Lafayette, La.
