Chinese New Year Symbols
Chinese New Year Symbols denote Chinese New Year, which rang in the Year of the Tiger on February 14th, 2010. Also called Spring Festival, it is without a doubt the most popular celebration in China, and billions of people get together around the world to celebrate. It is a 15 day festival, starting on the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar year and wrapping up on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival.
Chinese Lunar Calendar
Chinese New Year's Day is determined using the Chinese lunar calendar, and is on a different date each year. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, which has a set number of days and months in a year, the month length of the Chinese lunar calendar is based on one full cycle of the moon, so the number of days per month varies.
Chinese Lantern Festival
The 15th day, and the end of Spring Festival, is celebrated with the Chinese Lantern Festival. People hang red paper lanterns outside homes and businesses and carry them into the streets, where they play games, eat, and enjoy parades featuring dancing, life-size paper dragons and traditional Chinese folklore. The Lantern Festival dates back to the Han Dynasty (207 BC – 220 AD).
The 12 Animals - Chinese New Year Symbols
Chinese New Year is synonymous with the 12 zodiac animals, 1 for each of the 12 Chinese zodiac years. Each animal has its own horoscope or astrological outlook associated with it. The Chinese symbol for Tiger dominates the year 2010. Next year is Year of the Rabbit.
To learn more about your sign, use this calculator to find your Chinese New Year animal, then click on it below. Enter the year you were born in the first box, then click "Get Animal". For example: "1975"
Click on your zodiac animal symbol below to learn more about it.
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