The Chinese Lunar Calendar names each of the twelve years after an animal. Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only twelve came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived.
The characters of the animal of the year influence the coming year also the Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart."
Year |
The begin of the new Chinese year |
Animal of the year |
Element of the year
|
Color of the year |
2008 |
February 07 |
Rat |
Earth |
Brown (Yellow) |
2009 |
January 26 |
Ox (Cow) |
Earth |
Brown (Yellow) |
2010 |
February 10 |
Tiger |
Metal |
White (Gold) |
2011 |
February 03 |
Rabbit (Cat) |
Metal |
White (gold) |
2012 |
January 23 |
Dragon |
Water |
Black (Blue) |
2013 |
February 10 |
Snake |
Water |
Black (Blue) |
2014 |
January 31 |
Horse |
Wood |
Green |
2015 |
February 19 |
Sheep |
Wood |
Green |
2016 |
February 09 |
Monkey |
Fire |
Red |
2017 |
January 28 |
Rooster (Chicken) |
Fire |
Red |
2018 |
February 16 |
Dog |
Earth |
Brown (Yellow) |
2019 |
February 05 |
Boar (Pig) |
Earth |
Brown (Yellow) |
There is one secret of Chinese New Year’s Eve party read about it in the next article
