by Anne Tran

Created on: November 22, 2008   Last Updated: January 13, 2009

The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday and longest traditional celebration in Chinese culture. Widely celebrated in China and several other countries, this festival is not complete without fireworks, dragon dancers, and happy children receiving envelopes with money. The celebration is all about luck for the coming year.

In 2009, the New Year will fall on January 26. Unlike the Roman calendar, this day falls on a different day each year as the calendar follows the moon, usually in the second half of January or first half of February. And although the Lunar Calendar is no longer used, the Chinese New Year is still celebrated as an important part of Chinese Culture.

The year 2009 is the year of the Ox and the Ox is said to bring prosperity. Hard workers, planners, and the ambitious will prosper this year. Do not rely on get-rich-quick ways to get you to the top. This will not work for the Ox. The Chinese calendar follows a 12-year cycle consisting of twelve different animal signs to signify each year. Each animal has its own traits and characteristics greatly influencing the personality of people born in its year.

RAT - 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008
The Rat carries characteristics such as wit, charm, imagination, and cleverness. Beware because the Rat can also be greedy, selfish, and aggressive.

OX - 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009
The Ox is known to be solid, goal-oriented, ambitious, and hardworking. But the Ox is also known to be stubborn, serious, and insecure.

TIGER - 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010
The Tiger possesses strong traits such as generosity, leadership, and bravery. The Tiger is also moody, selfish, and impatient.

RABBIT - 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011
The Rabbit is outgoing, friendly, sensitive, and soft spoken. These characteristics make the Rabbit seem like pushovers making them easily taken advantage of.

DRAGON - 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000
The Dragon is ambitious, passionate, and dominant. These strong traits make the Dragon ill-tempered and they can come off as arrogant and demanding.

SNAKE - 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001
The Snake is known to be intelligent, analytical, and graceful. But the Snake can be seen as jealous, insecure, and distrustful.

HORSE - 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
The Horse is energetic, intelligent, and open-minded. The Horse, however, is also fickle, stubborn, and impatient.

GOAT - 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015
The Goat carries characteristics such as creativity, dependability, and is artistic by nature. The Goat can also hold characteristics which make it anxious, pessimistic, and indecisive.

MONKEY - 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
The Monkey is energetic, curious, and upbeat. But the Monkey is also known to be selfish, reckless, and mischievous.

ROOSTER - 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
The Rooster holds traits such as confidence, loyalty, and intelligence. The Rooster is also very opinionated, competitive, and egotistical.

DOG - 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
The Dog is known to be faithful, honest, and kind. But the Dog is also considered narrow-minded, stubborn, and moody.

PIG - 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019
The Pig is compassionate, loyal, and patient. But this causes the Pig to be gullible, nave, and susceptible to being taken advantage of.

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