by Vikas Reddy

Created on: November 22, 2008   Last Updated: June 20, 2011

The Chinese New Year is the most celebrated traditional Chinese holiday and that counts for a large fraction of the world's population. As you search further into the roots of how the holiday came to be, it's astonishing how influential it is in many countries other than China. In simple terms, the Chinese New Year can be called the new year of the East, and the Roman New Year (January 1st) dominated the Western parts of the globe.

The astute difference between the two new year holidays is the emphasis on mythology and culture. The year you are born determines the animal representation of you in relation to the rest of the world. Many people, including those who do not celebrate the Chinese New Year still enjoy discovering where they stand in the mythical history and what represents their personality.

While the New Year is based on the Julian calendar adopted by Julius Caesar, the Chinese New year has evolved over many dynasties, used as a sociopolitical tool at times. The last revision was made by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who affirmed month 1 as the beginning of the year. If history can make people immortal, this is an example of how one man has influenced millions of people to celebrate on an annual date for hundreds of years. And to this day the lunisolar Chinese calendar determines the date of the new year.

There are twelve animals, one for each month. Here's a quick breakdown so you can see which animal you are in the Chinese Zodiac, which can be referenced at Wikipedia.

• Rat: Feb 02 1984 - Feb 19 1985

• Ox: Feb 20 1985 - Feb 08 1986

• Tiger: Feb 09 1986 - Jan 28 1987

• Rabbit: Jan 29 1987 - Feb 16 1988

• Dragon: Feb 17 1988 - Feb 05 1989

• Snake: Feb 06 1989 - Jan 26 1990

• Horse: Jan 27 1990 - Feb 14 1991

• Ram: Feb 15 1991 - Feb 03 1992

• Monkey: Feb 04 1992 - Jan 22 1993

• Rooster: Jan 23 1993 - Feb 09 1994

• Dog: Feb 10 1994 - Jan 30 1995

• Boar: Jan 31 1995 - Feb 18 1996

And the cycle starts anew with Rat, but beginning at the year 1996. Just add one year to the subsequent animal personality and you can even predict the zodiac signs for people not yet born. For example, after the Rat (1996), it will be Ox carrying on the cycle from 1997.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BORN AS THE ANIMALS IN THOSE YEARS

Chinese astrology is a significant part of unveiling the meaning behind the births of every human. It is believed that your destiny

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