The Chinese Zodiac Calendar names each of the twelve years after an animal. There is a famous legend that tells of the Lord Buddha summoning all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only twelve came to say farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order that they appeared before him.  The Chinese believe that the year in which a person is born is profoundly influenced by the Zodiac animal, saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart."
The Chinese Lunar New Year is the oldest chronological record in the world, dating from 2600BC. The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the lunar years beginning being based on the cycles of the moon. Therefore, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each.

 

 

Chinese
Zodiac

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Rat   1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996
Ox   1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997
Tiger   1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998
Rabbit   1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999
Dragon   1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000
Snake   1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001
Horse   1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002
Sheep   1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003
Monkey   1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004
Rooster   1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005
Dog   1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006
Boar   1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007




















Future New Year dates:  2003 - Feb 1 2004 - Jan 22 2005 - Feb 9 2006 - Jan 29 2007 - Feb 18