We’ve talked about how the dates of holidays shift and change based on the calendars traditionally used. Because many cultures employed a lunar or lunisolar calendar, it makes sense that their New Year celebration falls on a variable date that’s different from fixed calendars.
The Lunar New Year falls on the date of the first new moon of the calendar year. There are some variances depending on whether the culture’s calendar is purely lunar or is reset by solar cycles, as in the lunisolar calendar.
Many countries have their origins in Chinese culture, so their calendars follow the Chinese zodiac. This is a twelve-year cycle that attributes an animal to each year in the cycle. Traditionally, your year of birth was considered more important than the date of your actual birth, and so the animal of the lunar year you were born was considered your main zodiac sign (more on this below). This supposedly meant you had certain qualities and were more compatible with people born in particular years – which gets weird when you’re talking about romantic interests, as your “ideal” match could be several years your junior/senior.
Why the emphasis on the year? The seventh day following the Lunar New Year is thought of as the day the Mother Goddess created humanity. So that day is considered “the people’s birthday,” and it was customary to count your age from this date. Everyone celebrates it just like any other birthday, often visiting family during this time. (In modern culture, people often celebrate both their birth date and this birthday.)
The Lunar New Year actually kicks off a number of other celebrations and customs, as well, like hauling out fireworks, festive foods and traditional garb. You send lucky red packets on/around New Year’s Day. Customarily, you visit the temple on the third day. The Lantern Festival caps everything off on the 15th. Some countries have amended this list of celebrations in various ways, but the idea here is that New Year’s isn’t just one day.
The Story of the Zodiac
The Jade Emperor wanted to choose twelve animals to be his guards. He sent a messenger into the world to tell the animals that the sooner you crossed the Heavenly Gate, the higher your rank would be among the guards.
The Rat got up earliest, but came to a river he couldn’t cross. An Ox began to ford the river, so the Rat jumped onto the Ox’s back. When they made it across, the Rat hopped off and quickly scurried through the gate, taking advantage of the Ox’s kindness.
The Tiger and Rabbit raced each other, but the Tiger was faster because the Rabbit slipped while hopping across stones on the river. The Rabbit managed to hop up and catch a ride on a drifting log.
The Dragon arrived fifth, though everyone assumed he would be first because he could fly; he told the Jade Emperor that he was late because he had to stop to give the Rabbit of puff of air to help keep him from falling in the river.
The Horse was nearly to the gate when the Snake slithered out from behind his hoof, scaring him. The Snake ranked sixth and the Horse was then seventh.
The Goat, Monkey and Rooster arrived together, having helped each other cross the river. The Rooster found a raft; the Goat pulled it from shore and the Monkey paddled, so the Jade Emperor awarded the Goat eighth, the Monkey ninth and the Rooster tenth.
The Dog arrived eleventh. Though he was a strong swimmer, he stopped to bathe and play in the water.
The Pig arrived last, having stopped to eat and nap along the way.
There are many different versions of the story of the great race, though a common theme is that the story illustrates qualities we associate with each animal. In some versions, the Cat and Rat are enemies. Both of them hop onto the Ox’s back to cross the river, but the sneaky Rat pushed the Cat off into the water; this explains why cats hate rats and water.
A little more on the Chinese zodiac
In addition to rotating the animal assigned to the year, they also rotate the five elements. This year is the year of the Wood Dragon; the dragon represents power, confidence, intelligence and leadership while the wood element brings an aspect of growth. 2024 should bring about opportunities, challenges and changes that invite us to shift our perspectives. (Personally, I’m tired of all three of those. Can we just have a year where no one asks us to challenge anything?)
There are apparently marked spikes in the birth rate in places that employ this zodiac because it’s thought that people born in the year of the dragon are particularly lucky. And who wouldn’t want their baby to be an intelligent, confident, natural-born leader?
I was born in the year of the Fire Tiger, which suggests that I approach tasks with vitality and interest (uh, sometimes?), that I’m a daring optimist (lmao no) but that my initial enthusiasm can quickly wane when something else comes along (okay, you’ve got me there).
The Chinese “zodiac” (not actually a zodiac in the true sense, btw, as it’s not based on astrology; that’s just the best word we have for this system) doesn’t completely ignore your actual birthdate. You have additional signs based on your birth month, day and hour that represent particular aspects of your personality, kind of like moon and rising signs. All of these elements would have been considered as a part of the whole outlook when considering marriage, careers and more.