In case your calendar didn't tell you it's Chinese New Year.  
4706...a good year, eh?  It's the year of the Rat...I'm a  
Rat so it should be a good year for me.  

Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with  
each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year  
festivities traditionally start on the first day of the  
month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is  
brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from  
work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.  

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the  
animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and  
Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the  
people born in each animal's year would have some of that  
animal's personality.  

Another version of this goes....  

Rat ranks number 1 in the 12 calendar animals. There is a  
related story for children. Once the God of Heaven wanted  
to choose 12 animal names as the sequence of the calendar.  
He announced to hold an animal racing to determine the  
order. When the racing date is closing, Cat forgot the  
time and asked Rat the schedule. Alert Rat gave Cat the  
wrong time on purpose. Smart Rat stayed on the horn of Ox  
while crossing the river, then jumped over the bank to  
reach the final line to win the champion. Cat missed the  
racing time and swear to kill Rat for generations. That's  
why Cat always chase Rat forever.  

The odd number is Yang and the even number is Yin. There-  
fore, Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse Monkey, Dog are Yang  
(Male) Animals. Cow, Rabbit, Snake, Sheep, Chicken and  
Pig are Yin (Female) animals. The one saying about the  
animal sequence is something to do with animal toes and  
paws.  

Tiger, Dragon, Monkey and Dog have five toes on paws. Horse  
has a single toe. Cow, Rabbit, Sheep, Chicken and Pig have  
four toes or paws. Snake has no toes, but it has fork-like  
tongue. Rat has 4-toe in the front legs and 5-toe in the  
back legs.  

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes,  
decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky  
money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which  
according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks  
that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient  
custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks,  
believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil  
spirits.  

Those born in rat years tend to be leaders, pioneers and  
conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic,  
practical and hardworking. Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Affleck,  
Samuel L. Jackson, William Shakespeare, and Mozart were  
all born in the year of the rat.  

What's your sign?  To figure it out...there are 12 years  
between cycles.  So if you are a rat you were born in 1924,  
1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 or 2008.  Ox were born  
1949 then add or subtract by 12 years to get your Chinese  
astrological sign.  Tiger 1950; Rabbit 1951; Dragon 1952;  
Snake 1953; Horse 1954; Sheep 1955; Monkey 1956; Rooster  
1957; Dog 1958; Pig 1959.  

Rat (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water):  
Forthright, disciplined, systematic, meticulous, charis-  
matic, hardworking, industrious, charming, eloquent,  
sociable, shrewd. Can be manipulative, cruel, dictatorial,  
rigid, selfish, obstinate, critical, over-ambitious,  
ruthless, intolerant, scheming, sturdy.  

Ox (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water):  
Dependable, calm, methodical, patient, hardworking, am-  
bitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute,  
tenacious. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic,  
rigid, demanding.  

Tiger (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood):  
Unpredictable, rebellious, colorful, powerful, passionate,  
daring, impulsive, vigorous, stimulating, sincere, af-  
fectionate, humanitarian, generous. Can be restless,  
reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, selfish.  

Rabbit (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood):  
Gracious, kind, sensitive, soft-spoken, amiable, elegant,  
reserved, cautious, artistic, thorough, tender, self-  
assured, astute, compassionate, flexible. Can be moody,  
detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic, lazy.  

Dragon (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Wood):  
Magnanimous, stately, vigorous, strong, self-assured,  
proud, noble, direct, dignified, zealous, fiery, pas-  
sionate, decisive, pioneering, ambitious, generous,  
loyal. Can be arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding,  
eccentric, grandiloquent and extremely bombastic, pre-  
judiced, dogmatic, over-bearing, violent, impetuous, brash.  

Snake (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire):  
Deep thinker, wise, mystic, graceful, soft-spoken, sensual,  
creative, prudent, shrewd, ambitious, elegant, cautious,  
responsible, calm, strong, constant, purposeful. Can be  
loner, bad communicator, possessive, hedonistic, self-  
doubting, distrustful, mendacious.  

Horse (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire):  
Cheerful, popular, quick-witted, changeable, earthy, per-  
ceptive, talkative, agile mentally and physically,  
magnetic, intelligent, astute, flexible, open-minded.  
Can be fickle, anxious, rude, gullible, stubborn, lack  
stability and perseverance.  

Sheep (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire):  
Righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, shy,  
artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding,  
mothering, determined, peaceful, generous, seeks security.  
Can be moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimis-  
tic, over-sensitive, complainer.  

Monkey (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal):  
Inventor, motivator, improviser, quick-witted, inquisitive,  
flexible, innovative, problem solver, self-assured,  
sociable, polite, dignified, competitive, objective,  
factual, intellectual. Can be egotistical, vain, selfish,  
cunning, jealous, suspicious.  

Rooster (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal):  
Acute, neat, meticulous, organized, self-assured, decisive,  
conservative, critical, perfectionist, alert, zealous,  
practical, scientific, responsible. Can be over zealous and  
critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, opinionated.  

Dog (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Metal):  
Honest, intelligent, straightforward, loyal, sense of  
justice and fair play, attractive, amiable, unpretentious,  
sociable, open-minded, idealistic, moralistic, practical,  
affectionate, dogged. Can be cynical, lazy, cold, judg-  
mental, pessimistic, worrier, stubborn, quarrelsome.  

Pig (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water):  
Honest, simple, gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving,  
patient, loyal, hard-working, trusting, sincere, calm,  
understanding, thoughtful, scrupulous, passionate, in-  
telligent. Can be naive, over-reliant, self-indulgent,  
gullible, fatalistic, materialistic.  

So enjoy this New Year...Gung Hai Fat Choi!!!  
 

Tags: chinese new year, year of the rat

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