Out with the old

According to the Chinese calendar today is the last day of the year of the Ram (or goat, or sheep, depending on the translation). According to the Chinese traditions, you should clean up your entire house today and then put away all cleaning equipment - and if you do any cleaning tomorrow you will sweep all your luck away. All the dirt should be placed in the middle of the living room and can't be moved until New Year's Day has passed - then it can be brushed away to the corners of the room until the fifth day when it can be taken out. And of course all this time it's very important not to trample on the dirt. On the fifth day the rubbish should be carried out of the door, not swept, and be taken out trough the back door.

The same superstition goes for a lot of other cleaning stuff, like you're not supposed to wash your hair or dishes in case you wash away your luck. Also you shouldn't use knifes or scissors in case they cut your luck. Furthermore you should pay attention to what the first person you meet tomorrow says, as their first words will be significant to your fortunes in the following year - but this does not apply to greetings in the bedroom, as they are considered to be unlucky.

In case you survive tomorrow - which shouldn't really be that difficult, to avoid all that means that you should in fact do very little! - tomorrow starts the year of the Monkey (or year 4701 by the Chinese calendar).

This reminds me of a more serious point I'd like to make. I'm hoping year of the Monkey will be a good one for all the monkeys and apes in the world, but unfortunately it doesn't look too good, as loss of habitat, pet trade and hunting continue to diminish already small existing populations. My adopted goddaughter Hebe is turning five this year - she lives with one of the most wonderful organisations that continue to fight for this cause, the Monkey World in Dorset. Animal charities have always been close to my heart - my two main charities are RSPCA and Monkey World, both are dedicated to rescuing animals from the perils of humans.

Monkey World is a great place - for money raising and educational reasons it looks like a zoo, but it's not like any other zoo I've been to. It's the only zoo I've ever seen that is built for the animals, not for the spectators. All the monkeys and apes have large enclosures so they are free to go where they want, and are not forced to be on display. You don't get close the fences - this makes it more difficult to see, but will give the animals more peace. Most of the animals have been rescued from human abuse - there are lots of ex-pets and lab monkeys. Many are kept on birth control so that more places are available to take in more rescued animals - but they also operate breeding programs for the rarer species. My goddaughter was born in Monkey World - however she was "an accident", as her mother secretly removed her birth control implant and then became pregnant.

In the future though, I of course would hope that there wouldn't be need for places like the Monkey World. But unfortunately I think it's more likely that we need more of them.

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