For the Chinese people, and those of Chinese descent across the globe, the most celebrated day of the year is the Lunar New Year or the Chinese New Year.
Also called The Spring Festival, this most popular holiday period commences on the day of the first new moon of the New Year and ends on the full moon about two weeks later.
Scroll to Find Your Chinese Zodiac Animal Year
Photos by Thomas Despeyroux
18 Facts about The Chinese New Year
1. Many traditions associated with The Lunar New Year include “getting one’s house in order” by paying off debts and physically cleaning the house.
2. Writing Spring Festival couplets on red paper and adorning windows with paper-cuts.
3. As the color red symbolizes Fire and is thought to drive away bad luck, people celebrate by wearing red clothes during the holiday period.
4. Children are given “red envelopes” with money in them as blessings.
5. In ancient times the Chinese people would light bamboo stalks with the belief that the flames and crackling bamboo would frighten and ward off evil spirits.
6. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month the Lantern Festival is held.
7. Gathering with friends and relatives, known as “bainian” include making New Year cakes and saying prayers in respect to the gods of the household, departed ancestry, and Heaven and Earth.
8. As family members reunite on the first night of the New Year themes of prosperity, good luck, and happiness are shared over a feast of specially prepared meals.
9. Chinese Festive Appetizer: Spring Rolls symbolize wealth.
10. Chinese Festive Main Course: Noodles represent a long life.
11. Chinese Festive Dessert: Sticky Rice Cake symbolizes a rich, sweet life and family reunion.
12. Lettuce wraps are commonly filled with “lucky food” during the two weeks of celebrating the new lunar year.
13. Customarily, on New Year’s Eve fish is served whole, with the head and tail intact, symbolizing prosperity and abundance for the coming year.
14. The Chinese New Year, The Spring Festival, The Lunar New Year are all used to mean the same thing for millions of Chinese people; a time to cherish, honor, make peace, and make merry with family and friends while ringing in the new year cycle with hope of prosperity and abundance for all.
15. Fireworks displays on New Year’s Eve light the night as family and friends come together to eat, pray, well-wish, and celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another.
16. Lanterns are hung in temples and carried at night to parades.
17. Many people paint their lanterns with mythical and historical scenes or paint flowers, birds, zodiac signs, and animals on them.
18. The Lantern Festival’s highlight is the Dragon Dance, where usually a very long dragon(sometimes 100 ft. long) made from silk, bamboo, and paper is carried through the streets by young men dancing inside of it.
The Chinese Lunar Calendar
and
Zodiac Animal Year List
Based on the cycles of the moon, The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, and a luni-solar calendar(–that is, based on the seasons rather than indicating the position among the constellations of the full moon) but with the start of the year being based on the cycles of the moon. The start of the year begins anywhere between late January and the middle of February falling on the second new moon after the winter solstice.
Each year of the Chinese calendar’s twelve year cycle corresponds to a different animal.
Dating back to 2600BC, The Chinese Lunar Calendar is the longest chronological calendar in history. The emperor Huang Ti introduced the first yearly cycle.
Myth has it that the Lord Buddha asked all of the animals to see him off just before he left this world, but as only twelve of the animals showed up, he decided to reward them each with their “own year”. The Chinese believe that the animal the corresponds to the year that one is born is “the animal that hides in your heart” and has a strong influence on ones life. Indeed, if you were born in the year of the Ox you may tend to naturally move on your feet in a relatively slow manner while having the benefit of a solid stance, IE; hard to knock down, whereas, if you were born in the year of the tiger you may tend to be relatively agile on your feet while having the benefit of quick reflexes. Find your animal year in the list below to take note of this ancient system of association regarding human traits and behavior and animal types.
Find Your Chinese Zodiac Animal Year
Use this table to find your Chinese Zodiac Animal Year.
**Bear in mind that the Chinese New Lunar Year begins anywhere between late January and the middle of February falling on the second new moon after the winter solstice. That means that if you were born in January or February you may be the animal sign from the previous year as listed in this table.
The animals that showed up to bid Lord Buddha farewell came in this order:
Rat 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020 2028
Rat Compatible with: Dragon, Monkey or Ox
Ox 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021 2029
Ox Compatible with: Rat, Snake or Rooster
Tiger 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022 2030
Tiger Compatible with: Dog, Horse
Rabbit 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023 2031
Rabbit Compatible with: Dog, Pig or Sheep
Dragon 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024 2032
Dragon Compatible with: Rat, Monkey or Rooster
Snake 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013 2025 2033
Snake Compatible with: Ox, Rooster
Horse 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026 2034
Horse Compatible with: Dog, Sheep or Tiger
Sheep 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027 2035
Sheep Compatible with: Horse, Pig or Rabbit
Monkey 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 2036
Monkey Compatible with: Dragon, Rat
Rooster 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029 2037
Rooster Compatible with: Dragon, Ox or Snake
Dog 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030 2038
Dog Compatible with: Horse, Rabbit or Tiger
Pig 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 2031 2039
Pig Compatible with: Rabbit, Sheep