![]() ![]() Though the festival varies by country, it is dominated by themes of reunion and hope. Today, Spring Festival is celebrated in China and Hong Kong Lunar New Year is also celebrated in South Korea, Tibet, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and places with large Chinese populations. Repeating in a rotating basis, these animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each year in the lunar calendar is named one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, which are derived from ancient Chinese folklore. ( Learn why some people celebrate Christmas in January.)Īs its name suggests, the date of the lunar new year depends on the phase of the moon and varies from year to year. When the newly founded Republic of China officially adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1912, its leaders rebranded the observation of the Lunar New Year as Spring Festival, as it is known in China today. ![]() Its holidays, however, are governed by its traditional lunisolar calendar, which may have been in use from as early as the 21st century B.C. Modern China actually uses a Gregorian calendar like most of the rest of the world. It is traditionally a time for family reunions, plenty of food, and some very loud celebrations. Lunar New Year falls this year on Sunday, January 22, 2023, kicking off the Year of the Rabbit. And though it is known to some in the West as Chinese New Year, it isn’t just celebrated in China. Finally, the Dog, loyal and sincere, and the Pig, compassionate and naive, arrives last at the Celestial Gate and in turn became the eleventh and twelfth signs of the Chinese zodiac.Celebrated around the world, it usually prompts the planet’s largest annual migration of people. In view of these two animals’ modesty and kindness, who let themselves be overtaken several times during the race, the Jade Emperor decided to give them seventh and eighth place respectively.Īnd while the clever and cunning Monkey bounded from tree to tree to catch up and come in ninth place, the stolid courage and honesty of the Rooster only allowed him the tenth place. Possessed of good sense and vigour, it was the Horse who next reached the finish line, followed by the Goat, demure and fair. Intelligent and articulate, he pretended to be the adopted son of the Dragon, and thus won the sixth place. They were followed by the reckless and ambitious Dragon, who wishes to submit his son to the Jade Emperor for the sixth position, but it was the Snake who then presents himself at the Celestial Gate. Strong and brave, the Tiger came third in the race, with very little trouble, followed by the Rabbit who, skilful and vigilant, used rocks and logs to cross the river quickly and thus take the fourth place. But just as they reached the Heavenly Gate, the Rat jumped up and crossed the finish line first, followed by the Ox, who came second. Undaunted and diligent, the Ox agreed to help him across by carrying him on his head. The order of the signs in the Chinese zodiac is thus based on the order of arrival of the animals selected by the Jade Emperor:Īs the legend goes, the Rat, who was cunning and left first, had to wait for the Ox to arrive at the river who crossed the race, because he could not ford it alone. He then sent an emissary to Earth to organise a race between all the animals to reach the Celestial Gate, the passage to the kingdom of the gods. The most popular of these tales goes that the Jade Emperor, the chief of the gods, wanted to select 12 animals to take as his personal guard. There are many legends regarding the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Which Lunar New Year animal are you like Learn about the animals that inspired the Chinese zodiac signs. How were the animals chosen for the Chinese zodiac? With the sign rotation system, we already know that next year’s animal will be the Dragon and the date of the Chinese New Year 2024 will be Saturday 10 February. Birth years ending in 8 or 9 have earth.Birth years ending in 2 or 3 have water.Each Vietnamese zodiac animal corresponds to 12 hours in one day and 12 months in another year. It comprises 12 zodiac animals arranged in a fixed order: Rat, Buffalo, Tiger, Cat, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Birth years ending in 0 or 1 have metal The Vietnamese zodiac is used to calculate the lunar year.Again, this is determined by your birth year, or more precisely the last digit of your birth year. Then you have to add one of the following 5 elements: fire, water, earth, wood or metal. Using your year of birth, you can find out your sign and animal: 1970 to 1984 In China, there is a sign for each year, represented by an animal, which cycles back every 12 years. Having this sign for the Chinese New Year 2023 is auspicious, as it is often used to symbolise vigilance, longevity, peace and prosperity. The fourth sign of the Chinese zodiac, it stands for calm and harmony. This year, for the Chinese New Year, the animal in the spotlight is the Water Rabbit. Why is the Rabbit as the animal of the Chinese New Year 2023? ![]()
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