It's believed that people born in a given year have the personality of that year's animal. For example, if you're born after January 27 in 1998, your Chinese zodiac sign is the Tiger as 1998 was a year of the Tiger (beginning at Chinese New Year). 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. 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. And this year, Lunar New Year begins Jan. 29. Each Lunar New Year is also marked by one of 12 animals—this year being the Year of the Wood Snake, which follows 2024’s Year of the Dragon 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. 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. Most famously, each Chinese New Year brings in a new Chinese animal zodiac as the focus for that year. Moreover, the imagery of the Chinese zodiac is prevalent in various aspects of art, design, and popular culture, serving as a unique motif in paintings, fashion, literature, and entertainment. Beyond its traditional history, the Chinese zodiac 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals. Listed below are all the 12 zodiac animals with detailed information, check out which animal sign you belong to and get lucky in the coming year! Year of the Rat; Year of the Ox; Year of the Tiger; Year of the Rabbit; Year of the Dragon; Year of the Snake; Year of the Horse; Year of the Goat; Year of the Monkey; Year 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 Below are listed the Chinese zodiac 2026 ruling animals and elements for each month of the year.* According to the Chinese New Year 2026 calendar, February 17, 2026 is the Lunar New Year celebration day, which marks the start of the Year of the Fire Horse 2026 (the Horse being the ruling animal of the year 2026) and the first day of the Month Chinese New Year and the Zodiacs. Each of these zodiac animals governs a whole year, which starts at Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar. This usually corresponds to January or February in the western calendar. When the current year has the same zodiac animal as the year you were born, you are said to be in Ben Ming Nian. Each sign is named after an animal, and each animal has its own unique characteristics. Do you know why the 12 Chinese zodiac animals are in the sequence above? The following story reveals legendary reasons, and some of the characteristics of the 12 animals. The story is widespread (and widely varying) among Chinese. Though it is made up, it The lunar calendar is also associated with 12 animal signs in Chinese zodiac, so every 12 years is regarded as a cycle. 2025 is a Year of the Snake, while 2026 turns to be a Year of the Horse. Chinese New Year Calendar (1930 - 2030) The beginning of a New Year in China is marked with elaborate celebrations as people usher in the start of a New Year animal. The Chinese New Year Animals Rat . The rat is one of the 12 animals found on the Chinese zodiac. According to the Chinese zodiac, the years which are defined as “the year of the rat” include 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 The Chinese zodiac, or Sheng Xiao, is a 12-year cycle of animal signs. Each year is associated with one of these animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake. An annual celebration event is taking place today to mark a fresh start for many. The Chinese New Year is now upon us, with celebrations and festivities expected to take place all over the world A month lasts for a single lunar cycle that is 29.5 days in average. The Chinese New Year date coincides with the new moon in February, which comes sometime between 21st January and 20th February every year. As a result, the Chinese New Year date can vary from year to year. What Does the Chinese Year of Birth Mean. As each year is attributed to Let’s start with the basics. There are 12 Chinese New Year animals that make up the Chinese Zodiac, and being born during the year of each Chinese New Year animal means that you will take on the characteristics of that particular sign. Here’s a quick guide to the Chinese New Year Animals. In many Asian cultures, the Lunar New Year is a celebration marking the arrival of spring and the start of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. Each year honors an animal based on the Chinese The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the Chinese calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. [1] The zodiac is very important in traditional Chinese culture and exists as a reflection of Chinese philosophy and culture . [ 2 ]
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