Shiela-Mae's Calendar
Ricci's Calendar
The Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Like the Western calendar, The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year being based on the cycles of the moon. Therefore, because of this cyclical dating, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. This year it falls on 29 January. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each.
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 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 OF THE DOG
CHINESE NEW YEAR: The Spring festival celebrates the earth coming back to life, and the start of ploughing and sowing. In the past, feudal rulers of dynasties placed great importance on this occasion, and ceremonies to usher in the season were performed. Preparations for the New Year festival start during the last few days of the last moon. Houses are thoroughly cleaned, debts repaid, hair cut and new clothes bought. Doors are decorated with vertical scrolls of characters on red paper whose texts seek good luck and praise nature, this practice stemming from the hanging of peach-wood charms to keep away ghosts and evil spirits. In many homes incense is burned, and also in the temples as a mark of respect to ancestors. On New Year’s Eve houses are brightly lit and a large family dinner is served. In the south of China sticky-sweet glutinous rice pudding called
'nian gao' is served, while in the north the steamed dumpling jiaozi is popular. Most celebrating the festival stay up till midnight, when fireworks are lit, to drive away evil spirits. New Years day is often spent visiting neighbours, family and friends. The public holiday for New Year lasts 3 days in China, but the festival traditionally lasts till the 15th day of the lunar month and ends with the ‘Lantern Festival’. Here, houses are decorated with colourful lanterns, and yuanxioa, a sweet or savoury fried or boiled dumpling made of glutinous rice flour is eaten.
The oldest and most important festival in China is the Spring Festival, more commonly known in the West as Chinese New Year. Like all Chinese festivals, the date of the new year is determined by the
lunar/solar calendar rather than the Western (Gregorian) calendar, so the date of the holiday varies from late January to mid February.
THE
YEAR OF THE DOG: Dogs can also be rather dogmatic,
too. They don't go in for light social banter; instead, they go straight
for home, expostulating on the topics that are most important to them. At
these times the Dog's narrow-minded or stubborn side can become apparent;
this Sign has trouble staying light and calm when an important issue is at
stake. This Sign can also be very temperamental;
mood swings characterise its emotional life and often the Dog needs to
run off to be alone in order to recuperate. Part of the problem is the
result of this Sign's load of irrational fears that turn into niggling
anxieties that turn into hurt feelings and occasional grouchiness. This
sensitive Sign needs to warm up to others over time and gradually learn to
trust them. Without that trust as a foundation, Dogs can be judgmental and
coarse. The Dog's discerning nature does make it an excellent business person,
one who can turn that picky, guarded nature into a keen sense of the truth
of another's motives. In any
forum, this Sign is happiest when able to be quite physically active; at
home or at work, the Dog will always be constructing something new or
cleaning something up in order to make things better. Dogs need to work on
controlling their irrational worries and would also be well-served to
relax their mile-high standards, which can sometimes wind up alienating
the ones they love.
In
the West, the
Dog is man's best friend, but in Chinese Astrology this Sign is a
little more unpredictable than that.
Dogs are loyal, faithful and honest and always stick to their
firm codes of ethics. However, this Sign has trouble trusting others. It's
generally quite trustworthy itself -- except for the occasional "little
white lies" the Dog tells in order to make things go more smoothly. The
Dog makes a wonderful, discreet and loyal friend (despite any white lies)
and is an excellent listener. This Sign tends to root for the underdog and
its keen sense of right and wrong makes it duty-bound to the core. The
Dog's mantra seems to be, Live right, look out for the little people and
fight injustice whenever possible.
People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.
