The combination of these two elements is said to define a person's personality. (Read "China Not So Bullish About the Year of the Ox.")Įach animal in the zodiac is associated with its own element metal, wood, earth, water or fire while each year is assigned an element. After 12 years, the cycle restarts, matching the length of Jupiter's solar orbit. It is based on 12 temperaments represented by 12 symbolic animals rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig (the dragon being the well-known favorite). According to legend, the calendar was created by Ta Nao, a minister of Emperor Huang Ti's, and has been used in Asia since 4000 B.C. (See pictures of Chinese New Year celebrations)īecause the Chinese calendar is based on the moon's rotation, the new year can occur anytime from mid-January to late February. Although these methods weren't specifically astrological, the period marks the beginning of the Chinese connection to the celestial bodies that form the basis of the Chinese zodiac. The remains of these "readings" were unearthed years later and called dragon bones.
(In the dances, a group of performers holds up a model of the animal's head and a long train symbolizing its body and moves sinuously as a way to demonstrate power and dignity no lions or dragons are harmed.) Such traditions are rooted in an astrological system that dates back to the Shang Dynasty (about 1700 B.C.), when soothsayers would burn turtle shells or shoulder blades of goats or cattle and use the cracks to interpret what the future held. 26 with festivities that include plenty of food, firecrackers (to chase away evil spirits), red paper lanterns (red being a bright color that portends a sunny future) and dragon and lion dances for good luck. Follow communities throughout the world will mark the Lunar New Year beginning Jan.
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