Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. It starts from Chinese New Year. The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years. (This is especially useful for What are the animals of the zodiac? Each year honors an animal based on the Chinese zodiac. The circle of 12 animals — the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig — measure the cycles of time. As the new moon rises this week, it ushers in a new year on the lunar calendar used by many cultures across East and Southeast Asia. On the Chinese zodiac’s 12-year lunar cycle, 2025 is the Year With Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) quickly approaching, some may wonder why this coming year is the Year of the Snake, why each year is represented by an animal and the story behind it all Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year or Spring Festival 2025 falls on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025. Snake is the new year animal. Learn more about Chinese Lunar New Year traditions, taboos, food, zodiac signs, and greetings. According to the Chinese calendar, the year you were born might determine your personality. That’s because each year is represented by an animal, called a Chinese zodiac sign, and legend has it that people born under that sign have similar traits to the animal. (The year 2024—starting February 10—is the Year of the Dragon.) The ox is another New Year animal found on the Chinese zodiac and is the second animal after the rat. The ox can also be identified as the cow or the water buffalo. The year of the ox is observed after the completion of the year of the rat and the years of the ox in the past include 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, and 2009. The Chinese New Year animals change annually on a twelve year cycle but there are also five different types of each animal represented by the five elementary elements from Chinese culture - earth, wood, fire, water and metal. 2024 was the year of the Wood Dragon and 2025 is the year of the Wood Snake. Rat Chinese New Year starts a new animal’s zodiac year. In China, each lunar cycle has 60 years and 12 years is regarded as a small cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal sign: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake and 2026 is the Year of the Horse. From snake-themed events to whether your luck is in: discover all you need to know about the coming Lunar New Year in our Year of the Snake 2025 series. There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac What animal represents the Lunar New Year in 2025? It's the Year of the Snake! The slithery reptile is referred to in Chinese literature as "little dragon," with the skin the dragon sheds (dragon Lanterns glow at Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during Chinese New Year. Photograph by Amril Izan Imran, Alamy Stock Photo. TRAVEL; Top 10 things to know about Lunar New Year. The Chinese zodiac includes 12 animal signs, in order they are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, marks the transition from one animal to the next—2024 is the year of the Dragon, which began on February 10th, 2024, and ends on February 24th, 2024. Chinese New Year is the most important holiday in China. Tied to the Chinese lunar calendar, it begins on the new moon that appears between January 21 and February 20. The holiday was Every Chinese zodiac year from 1900–2031, full table and broken down by each zodiac. Find your year, animal, dates and element (metal, water, wood, fire, earth). Find Your Chinese Zodiac Sign. Chinese zodiac years are based on the lunar calendar, each zodiac animal's year comes around every 12 years. Everyone has his/her zodiac sign based on the birth year in the lunar calendar. Use the following Chinese zodiac calculator to find your zodiac sign, element, and lucky things. Lunar New Year’s Eve: The Reunion Dinner. At the heart of Lunar New Year celebrations is the reunion dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve, which falls on January 28, 2025. A traditional reunion dinner has many dishes, including steamed or fried fish, rice cakes and balls, noodles and dumplings. Ox is the second animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, coming after the Rat and before the Tiger.Recent years of the Ox include 2021, 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, and 1949, with the next Ox year in 2033 (Year of the Water Ox). Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. It’s the most important holiday in China and to Chinese people all over. Here are 21 interesting facts that you probably didn’t know about Chinese New Year. 1. Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival Just like in the Western Horoscope Signs, each Chinese New Year animal has compatibilities and incompatibilities, with some animals getting along better than others. For example, rabbits get along great with pigs and dogs, but rarely with roosters and rats.
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