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. January 29th, 2025 (Chinese New Year) will signal the start of the year of the Snake. What’s Your Zodiac Sign? The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, features 12 animal signs in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to Chinese zodiac, starting from the 2025 Chinese New Year on Jan. 29th and lasting to 2026 Lunar New Year's Eve on Feb. 16. 2026 is the Year of the Horse. Chinese New Year, or 春节 (Chūn Jié), is one of the most important and widely celebrated festivals in Chinese culture. It is rich with symbols that embody various wishes and traditions, each carrying deep meanings and playing a significant role in the festivities. Below are some of the most prominent Chinese New Year symbols, along with Chinese New Year symbols are imbued with profound meanings, derived from centuries-old traditions and cultural practices. The color red, predominant in decorations and attire, symbolizes joy, prosperity, and protection against evil spirits, invoking yang energy. Other Chinese New Year Symbols for good luck. During Chinese New Year, various charms and decorations are used to attract good fortune. These range from paper cutouts to couplets and paintings, all featuring wealth, happiness, and longevity themes. Paper cutouts: Artistry and auspiciousness. Chinese New Year paper cutouts For the starting date of a zodiac year, there are two schools of thought in Chinese astrology: Chinese New Year or the Start of Spring. Chinese New Year, day 1 of the Chinese lunar year, falls somewhere in the period January 21 st to February 20 th. The Start of Spring is the 1 st of the 24 Solar Terms, beginning on February 3 rd or 4 th. Most In Chinese culture, the 2021 Lunar New Year on February 12 ushers in the Year of the Ox, after a particularly challenging Year of the Rat in 2020. Twelve animals represent the Chinese zodiac signs (or sheng xiao, translating to "born + resemblance"); in order, they’re the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat (or Sheep), Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The Chinese term “Ben Ming Nian” means this year is the same animal sign as your birth year and it is a reset of the 12-year cycle for your zodiac sign. Your animal year is notorious for being Consider my daughter, Heidi, born in the Year of the Dog. She faced what is termed “offending the Grand Duke” or “Fan Tai Sui” (犯太岁) in Mandarin during the last Dog year. This belief holds that sharing your birth year with the current zodiac sign can invite bad luck. The number 12 in the Chinese Zodiac reflects ancient observations of natural cycles and cultural systems. Early Chinese recognized the annual cycle of seasons and the 12 lunar months, aligning the Zodiac with the year’s rhythm. Additionally, Jupiter’s 12-year orbit reinforced the significance of this number for marking time. However, the Chinese New Year firecrackers and fireworks that are symbols of Chinese New Year have a different meaning than those for other holidays. It is believed that the loud noises and the flashes of light from both firecrackers and fireworks could scare away evil spirits and usher in good fortune. Happy Lunar New Year! 2025 is the Chinese Lunar Year of the Snake — more specifically, the wood snake. zodiac sign and the snake’s overall meaning. Wood, as one of the five Taoist elements The Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) usually falls during 21 January and February 20, if your birthday is during this period in Gregorian date, you may belong to the zodiac sign of the last year. In the following table, the years’ starting and ending dates are clearly shown which help you determine your animal sign correctly. 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 One of the most important Chinese New Year signs in many parts of Asia is the inclusion of Chinese zodiac animals. There are 12 Chinese New Year characters, and each year is associated with a Chinese New Year symbols hold deep cultural significance, representing luck, prosperity, and new beginnings. The top symbols include red envelopes, lanterns, firecrackers, zodiac animals, and the Fu character, each playing a crucial role in the festive celebrations. Top 15 Chinese New Year Symbols 1. Red Envelopes (Hongbao) Bidding farewell to the mythical Dragon, the world welcomes the Year of the Snake on January 29 — the first day of the Lunar New Year. For those who celebrate this ancient festival, starting the Each Zodiac year begins on Chinese New Year, which falls between late January and mid-February. This is why someone born in January 1984 might belong to the Year of the Pig (1983) instead of the Year of the Rat (1984). The 12-Year Cycle The Meanings and Elements of Chinese Zodiac Signs The Meanings and Elements of Chinese Zodiac Signs The Chinese zodiac is a system that has been used for more than 2,000 years to identify a person’s birth year based on the Chinese lunar calendar. Each year in the Chinese zodiac is associated with an animal sign, and also with one of the five Snake is the 6th animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs, coming after the Dragon and before the Horse.Recent years of the Snake include 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, and 1941, with the next Snake year in 2025 (Year of the Wood Snake).
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