DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

PREP TIME 20 Min TOTAL TIME 3 Hr SERVINGS 16 Ingredients 24 thin chocolate wafer cookies (from 9-oz package), crushed (1 1/4 cups) 3 tablespoons butter, melted 2 packages (8 oz each) plus 4 oz cream cheese, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

    Chinese New Year  starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the new year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to "catch up" with the solar calendar the Chinese insert an extra month once every few years (seven years out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same as adding an extra day on leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. The celebration was traditionally highlighted with a religious ceremony given in honor of Heaven and Earth, the gods of the household and the family ancestors. The sacrifice to t