Welcome to the Chinese year of the pig . Chinese New Year is the main holiday of the year for more than one quarter of the world's population and the Chinese New Year commences each year in February, according to our Western, Gregorian calendar.

Chinese tradition employs both a Solar and Lunar calendar. Using the Solar calendar, the year starts on 4th February and this begins the new Zodiac animal cycle. The New Moon day of Sunday 18th February 2007, however, is the official Lunar New Year celebration day when the dragons and fireworks come out onto the streets!

2006 was the Year of the Fire Dog and it's been a fascinating and dramatic year. If I look back on what I wrote before the Dog Year, I find that the predictions of dramatic changes in attitudes to the environment and Mother Earth have all been borne out. Suddenly the media and politicians know the full extent of the coming effects of global warming and changing solar radiation cycles on our world climate, at last catching up to the rest of us.
Now in the cycle of twelve animals comes the friendly Pig. The Pig in Chinese astrology has its principal qualities of honesty, tolerance and rigor. The Pig is well-meaning and generous, persevering and steady, and is appreciated for his courage, prosperity and nobility. His best roles are as doctor, mediator, judge, confessor, poet, painter or benefactor. He comes into the world with a lot of very old fashioned sentiments such as goodness, tolerance and an admirable belief in the perfectibility of mankind. Needless to say, the nasties will pounce on him to make mincemeat out of him. Pigs can be very naive, credulous and overconfident, and sometimes even downright stupid. Money you'd think after talking to the Pig that it means nothing to him that he can take it or leave it. But, in fact, the Pig finds it really essential to have money and will spend a thousand dollars in a day if he finds what he enjoys. Then at other times he will frugally save every penny in his piggy bank. Happily, Pigs are very lucky with money and it always comes to them somehow. They end their days being well-off and contented.

They love domestic comfort and are also in love with nature their idea of heaven is to take long walks in the forest; their ideal house is in the country, the mountains or at the seaside where they can do regular walks on the beach. A very large number of Pigs usually live in the country and if they don't, they yearn for it every day. Pigs need space and lots of fresh air. Modern flats and apartments will depress them and they will feel sick in a confined space. Lifts and elevators are too much for them for very long.

Their home is a pride and joy and they can be found tinkering, renovating, adding to the rooms and frequently decorating to make it all comfortable, filling the place with very expensive and lush objects of beauty. They will not allow dust and dirt to besmudge their property but will remove it in an instant whirl of cleanliness.

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