Kung hei fat choy!
Happy New Year! Today marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Red Fire Monkey. It runs from February 8, 2016 to January 27, 2017.
People born in the Year of the Monkey don't usually have the best of luck during their natal year, however there are a few things you can try to change this:
Wearing red can drive away bad luck and evil spirits.
Wearing jade jewelry will also ward off bad luck.
Adjust your furniture so it faces the northeast.
Also face the northeast when conducting business.
Eating fish for the New Year is believed to bring a surplus of money and luck.
As with the other signs in the Chinese Zodiac, people born under the sign of the monkey tend to take on the characteristics of their birth animal. They're lively and curious, often mischievous and innovative. As well they tend to be both clever and intelligent, especially when it comes to their careers and money. The downside is, they tend to be temperamental.
If you're born in January or February, finding your animal sign for the Chinese zodiac can be a bit tricky. Because the traditional Chinese calendar is based on the movements of both the moon and the sun, the exact date of the new year will vary, usually falling between some time between January 21 and February 20.
While the more familiar Western zodiac is divided into 12 months, the Chinese zodiac is divided into 12 years. Each year is represented by an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar. There are several different legends of how these animals were assigned to each year, but my favourite is the Great Race.
In ages past, the Jade Emperor held a race for all the animals. The first twelve to cross a swiftly flowing river would each guard the heavenly gates for a year in rotation to prevent deities from sneaking down to the earth. The cat and the rat, being poor swimmers, asked the ox if he would carry them. The ox agreed, but when they were halfway across the rat pushed the cat off, leaving him to struggle, which is why cats and rats are enemies to this day. As the ox was about to win, the rat jumped on his head then onto the bank, stealing first place. Third place went to the tiger, who was nearly exhausted from the swim. Fourth went to the rabbit, who cheated by hopping across some stepping stones and then a floating log. The dragon, having stopped to create some rain for people in need and help the rabbit with a puff of air, came in fifth. The snake scared the horse into jumping backwards, so he came in sixth and the horse seventh. The goat, monkey, and rooster worked together to take a raft across the river, and became the eighth, ninth, and tenth animals of the zodiac. The dog, having stopped to take a bath, was the eleventh to cross. The boar, having stopped for a bite to eat and then a nap, came in last.
Find your Chinese Zodiac sign HERE
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