Chinese New Year is one the biggest and longest celebrations in China. The Chinese New Year for 2010 starts on February 14, 2010. According to the Chinese calendar it is the 4708 year and will be known as the year of the tiger. The Chinese calendar works on the lunar calendar and each month begins on the darkest day. So it is not that every month starts from the 1st. The Chinese New Year celebrations start on the first day of the month and continue till the fifteenth day of the month, when the moon is the brightest. It is one of the biggest festivals of China and the preparations start much before the start day.
Chinese New Year and Animal Signs
The Chinese years are named after different animals. The legend goes that in ancient times Buddha asked animals to meet on the Chinese New Year and twelve animals came and he named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal’s year would have the personality traits of that animal. The twelve animal signs according to Chinese are:
| Rat |
Cow |
Tiger |
| Rabbit |
Dragon |
Snake |
| Horse |
Sheep |
Monkey |
| Chicken |
Dog |
Pig |
Chinese New Year Celebrations
The Chinese New Year is celebrated with people wearing new clothes, decorating their houses with red color paper and giving children lucky money in red envelopes. The red color has a very important significance for the Chinese people. The red color represents power happiness and vitality. The red color is also a symbol of fire and according to legends, drives away bad luck. Other than this the Chinese New Year celebrations also have extensive use of fireworks. In the olden days the Chinese used to lit bamboo stalks believing that the flames would frighten away the evil spirits.
The Chinese Lantern Festival
The Chinese New Year time is the period for family reunions as all family members go to each other’s house and share meals mainly as a feast on the New Year’s Eve. The end of the Chinese New Year celebrations is marked with the lantern festival on the fifteenth day of the month. Some of the lanterns are decorated with different pictures of birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs and various scenes legends and history. People hang the glowing lanterns in temples and even carry them to an evening parade under the light of the full moon. In many parts of China the lantern festival also has the dragon dance adding to the gay festive mood. The dragon is typically made of silk, paper and bamboo and stretches to nearly 100 feet in length. The dragon is generally carried by young men, who dance their way through the crowd, carrying the dragon on their shoulders.
Chinese New Year of Tiger
This Chinese New Year 2010 is going to be the year of Tiger. Tigers have hardly any interest in power or money. They are completely honest about how they feel and have the same expectation from others. On the other hand they look for approval from their friends and family. Because of their charming personality, Tigers are easily liked by all. If Tigers fail to do a given task or prove to be unproductive in their personal or professional life, they tend to go in depression. But even after the worst set back, they know how to bounce back on their feet and ready to take the next challenge.
Compatibility between Tiger and Other Zodiac Signs
Tiger - Rat
Good friendship between them, but their tantrums will spoil the good times.
Tiger – Ox
Not at all a good pairing and yet they are completely drawn to each other.
Tiger – Tiger
Both are very dominating and creative and both ignite each other’s curiosity.
Tiger – Rabbit
A very good match indeed.
Tiger – Dragon
A daring combination with lot of action to keep both of them interested in each other.
Tiger – Snake
Both are on completely different paths and shouldn’t cross each other.
Tiger – Horse
A perfect combination bringing an exciting life together.
Tiger – Sheep
There isn’t much openness to keep them together for long.
Tiger – Monkey
A bad pairing, make the relationship dead boring.
Tiger – Rooster
Small communication will cause big issues.
Tiger – Dog
A complete win-win situation bringing admiration and respect from all.
Tiger – Pig
With a bit of humor and friendship this is a completely successful relationship.
Chinese New Year
2008 - Feb. 7
2009 - Jan. 26
2010 - Feb. 14
2011 - Feb. 3
2012 - Jan. 23
