Year of the Ox

GONG XI FA CAI!

HONG PAO NA LAI?!
:D

Yup people, Chinese New Year is today, on the 26th of January.

Coincidentally the same day as Australia Day.

We are still more important, judging by the fact that there are at least a billion of us on this earth compared to Australia. :P

This is the Year of the Ox.

The Chinese calendar is based on the moon movements. Bascially, it is VERY accurate, right down to the last minute, so we never really know when CNY [Chinese New Year] is until we either check the calander, or do it the old fashioned way and track the moon ourselves.

The Chinese a long time ago decided to use animals as a way of telling the years apart.

There are twelve animals. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig, in that order.

There's a lot of legends regarding how that order came to be, but all involve a race of some kind. The way they raced and got their places also determines some kind of personality, much like a star sign. You know how we have stuff like Capricorn and Aquarius and Pisces? The Lunar Animals are the Chinese version of it. Of course, the Zodiac signs change every month and ours takes...well...twelve years to come full circle, lol.

Traits of the Ox severe bad luck and extreme gullibleness. The reason for this bad luck, I think, is because during the race of the animals, the Rat cheated by hanging onto the back of the Ox. The Ox was so powerful and big that he was ahead of everyone else, and endured all hardships and obstacles that crossed his path. But just before the Ox reached the finish line, the Rat jumped off his back and won the race. Hence the Ox's bad luck and gullible traits, lol.

So to anyone born in the Year of the Ox - may you hopefully be luckier this year!
To all Chinese around the world:

Mishy <3