The Chinese New Year - pocket edition

By: S. McManus

Happy New Year of The Dog!
While perhaps not so widely celebrated in the Western side of the world, the new lunar year has made a swift appearance on February 16th’s full moon as the year of the Earth Dog.
Why Earth? You may ask, or for those of you who have yet to have heard about 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, you may be wondering how an animal could be related to a year in the first place. No worries, just run through the mini animal zodiac crash course below to get all you need to know about this Chinese New Year and what it can say about you.
 

1. The Race

While there are various interpretations of how the cycle order of the zodiac animals came to be, perhaps the most well-known one is associated with an ancient emperor gathering all of the most important and beloved animals and setting them up to race against each other across a river so that their order would be decided as to how they would be represented in the first ever calendar. As the legend goes, the rat arrived first, having rode on the back of the ox and tricked him at in the last moment, securing his victory. They were followed by the tiger, who came in third, and then by the rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and finally, pig. Some variations extend on this tale further, hinting that the cat was supposed to have participated in the race, and planned to team up with rat, but was betrayed in different ways depending on which version you’re told. People say that this is the story behind a cat’s unrelenting chase of rats.
 

1. What sign are you?

Your Chinese zodiac sign can be easily told by your year of birth and can vary slightly for those who are born between the 21st of January and 20th of February, due to the Chinese New Year starting at a later date. In terms of Chinese culture, your sign is of high importance, as it can determine personality traits, superstitions originating from folklore and partner compatibility, which can be taken very seriously. Another characteristic that may seem abnormal to westerners but is taken into consideration for compatibility is your blood type! While it may seem silly to think that the whole world’s range of personalities could be separated in only four categories, this is an increasingly common question being asked on first dates.
Check out: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/ to quickly discover what sign you are, and all the traits that come with it.
 

1. The Elements

Similarly to the Western horoscope, every sign has an accompanying element to it, which changes every two years. For example, 2016 and 2017 were the years of the fire monkey and rooster respectively, and the years of 2018 and 2019 will have an accompanying earth characteristic. There are two years for each element in the cycle as one year has a third characteristic between yin and yang. Another difference between Western and Eastern horoscopes is that the Chinese zodiac has five elements: water, wood, fire, earth, and metal, giving a total of 60 different variations you could have as your birth year. The element accompanying the zodiac element is said to bring out different traits from the people born in that year. That means that while the babies born in this year should have high morals, be loyal and smart they are also influenced by the earth factor which suggests they will choose to be more gentle and also think less with their emotions. Read more on https://www.refinery29.com/2018/02/190952/chinese-zodiac-elements-astrology-meaning to find more about how elements affect your horoscope.
 

1. Is it really 2018?

Well according to the original lunar calendar, no, it isn’t. However, it is very difficult to see someone referring to it otherwise seeing as the Chinese calendar has been adapted over time to become more of a solar-lunar calendar as it globalizes. As the lunar calendar was created over two thousand years before the Gregorian one, it would now be, according to ancient times, the year 4715. But even if we consider that to be true, we would have to go in to the other complications of the ancient lunar calendar that include occasionally having 13 months, the moon cycles, the leap months, the 24 solar terms and so on…
 

1. What does this year have in store for us?

To top off this crash course, here’s what to expect in 2018’s dog year now that you know what it means and where it comes from. Contrary to what some people may believe this, year will actually be unlucky for those born with a dog sign (2006 liners beware!) and should choose to focus on their health as they will be facing many challenges. On the bright side, it is said that this can be neutralized by happy events which is known to “counteract three disasters” in China. For a broader prediction, 2018 will be an eventful year of changes with security concerns and rise of movements. Due to dog zodiac influence, this year will be one of communication and solidarity, as well as sensitivity and conflict. To find out more information on what you should know for your specific sign, check out: https://www.horoscope.com/us/horoscopes/yearly/2018-chinese-horoscope-overview.aspx.
 
Wishing you all the best of luck in this new year!