Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is a very important and exciting holiday. It is a time for feasting, celebration, parties and fireworks along with the exchanging of gifts. The New Year for the Chinese begins on the first day of the New Moon and ends with the Full Moon as the Chinese calendar is based on the lunar year therefore the date of Chinese New Year changes every year. The system of the twelve-year cycle of animal signs was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter (the Year Star; following the orbit of Jupiter around the sun, Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections, and rounded it to 12 years (from 11.86).

Chinese astrology works very differently to Western astrology. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year pattern with each year named after an animal. These 12 animals were named by Buddha (a year for each animal) each of them carrying different traits and characteristics.

Everyone has their own Chinese Zodiac sign depending on which year you were born. There are then different types of elements that go with that sign which are Metal, fire, wood and water. The description of each animal is said to be a true likeliness of the person in question and just like with Western astrology when the Sun moves into a particular sign we experience different types of energies, the same applies with Chinese astrology.

The Year of the Water Dragon

This year on 23rd January 2012 we will experience “The Water Dragon”. .Now most of us know that water tends to calm things down. It is calming, it is cleansing, it is nurturing and it is certainly reassuring. This combined with the dragon is a perfect combination for a flexible and exciting year. This is because water is the dragon’s natural element and because the dragon is so excitable and hot headed the energy of the water calms things down and makes things more tranquil and realistic. Therefore you can have both passion and excitement ultimately leading to growth but in a very structured way as water produces wood which signifies and stands for growth in Chinese astrology. The dragon governs the east/southeast, wealth accumulation and the hours of 7 a.m. – 9a.m.Which is associated with thunder, lightening and arousal. If anything the Water Dragon is said to stand for creativity so if you are an artist then you can be sure that this year will be a good one for you.

In terms of what we can expect from the Water Dragon this year it seems to be a combination of enthusiasm, excitement, movement and reasoning. Many of us experienced a bad year in 2011 which was the year of the Rabbit, you may have felt held back, but this time the Dragon encourages you to move forwards. So this year is slightly more forgiving than last year. The energy of the Water Dragon is receptive and understands when to step back and revaluate. They are good decision makers and can easily adapt to other peoples’ needs and desires

High energetic points this year, include the dragon moon, which is from May 20 to June 18 (new moon is May 20, full moon is June 4 and dragon moon is over June 18. June 19 begins the snake moon, which will set up the energy for the following year, 2013, year of the yin water snake.

The order of the Chinese zodiac starts with the Rat, followed by the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

What Chinese sign are you? Check out the dates below:

Sign Year
Horse 12Feb02
31Jan03 27Jan90
14Feb91 7Feb78
27Jan79 21Jan66
8Feb67 3Feb54
23Jan55 15Feb42
4Feb43

Snake 24Jan01
11Feb02 6Feb89
26Jan90 18Feb77
6Feb78 2Feb65
20Jan66 14Feb53
2Feb54 27Jan41
14Feb42

Dragon 5Feb00
23Jan01 17Feb88
5Feb89 31Jan76
17Feb77 13Feb64
1Feb65 27Jan52
13Feb53 8Feb40
26Jan41

Rabbit 16Feb99
4Feb00 29Jan87
16Feb88 11Feb75
30Jan76 25Jan63
12Feb64 6Feb51
26Jan52 19Feb39
7Feb40

Tiger 28Jan98
15Feb99 9Feb86
28Jan87 23Jan74
10Feb75 5Feb62
24Jan63 17Feb50
5Feb51 31Jan38
18Feb39

Ox 7Feb97
27Jan98 20Feb85
8Feb86 3Feb73
22Jan74 15Jan61
4Feb62 29Jan49
16Feb50 11Feb37
30Jan38

Rat 19Feb96
6Feb97 2Feb84
19Feb85 15Feb72
2Feb73 28Jan60
14Feb61 10Feb48
28Jan49 24Jan36
10Feb37

Pig 31Jan95
18Feb96 13Feb83
1Feb84 27Jan71
14Feb72 8Feb59
27Jan60 22Jan47
9Feb48 4Feb35
23Jan36

Dog 10Feb94
30Jan95 25Jan82
12Feb83 6Feb70
26Jan71 18Feb58
7Feb59 2Feb46
21Jan47 14Feb34
3Feb35
Rooster 23Jan93
9Feb94 5Feb81
24Jan82 17Feb69
5Feb70 31Jan57
17Feb58 13Feb45
1Feb46 26Jan33
13Feb34

Monkey 4Feb92
22Jan93 16Feb80
4Feb81 30Jan68
16Feb69 12Feb56
30Jan57 25Jan44
12Feb45 6Feb32
25Jan33

Goat 15Feb91
3Feb92 28Jan79
15Feb80 9Feb67
29Jan68 24Jan55
11Feb56 5Feb43
24Jan44 17Feb31
5Feb32

What to expect from the year ahead:

For Rats this will be an innovative year. However because Rats get stressed so quickly they are advised to take things slowly but they should have lots of energy and high endurance to keep them going!

For Oxen, this will be a pragmatic year with new love on the horizon – it is also advised to forget bad memories and move on to a fresh new start.

Tigers will experience new opportunities offering them the chance to show their leadership skills to the world. They will need to be more self assured, confident and courageous. New friendships are said to emerge.

Rabbits will have to work hard this year and there is no hanging about! There is also a need for Rabbits to take care of their friendships this year and spend quality time with lovers.

Dragons are likely to experience some strong changes in all areas but it will be an exciting and creative year to say the least!

The Snake this year will need to be more sensible and intuitive so that they can reach their goals. However, they might find themselves distracted by other exciting activities. They key for Snakes this year is balance.

For horses 2012 reveals that you should focus your efforts around work as much as possible and is said to be a good year for romance where you can openly express your feelings.

Goats need to watch their money this year and resolve issues between loved ones. There is also the opportunity to expand their career .

Monkeys should find themselves bonding in all sorts of relationships this year including both love and friendship. This should also be a tranquil and serene year for Monkey. Strong performances at work are to be expected.

Roosters will be in for an exciting year as it will bring them the chance to express themselves and enhance their potentials in society to be a renowned person. There will also be a chance to travel and meet lots of new people.

Dogs are likely to explore new relationships this year including soul mates and marriage. It is also said to be a fantastic year for business

Pigs this year will tackle problems without any difficulties, they are also warned to take care of themselves this year and not to leave minor problems unchecked.
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References:

http://horoscopes2012.com/2012-chinese-horoscope-2012/pig-2012-horoscope.html

http://www.waterdragoninc.com/Feng%20Shui%202012.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_astrology

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/chinese_new_year.htm

http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Dragon.htm