2015: Year of the Goat

The Chinese New Year is the biggest and most important holiday in the Chinese calendar. Legend says that long ago, Buddha called all the animals to meet him on the Chinese New Year, and the 12 animals that showed up got years named after them. He also decreed that from then on, anyone who was born in a particular animal's year would be born with some of that animal's personality. The astrological birth chart is built by the Chinese Astrology Calendar, which is a combination counting system of Yin-Yang Five Elements and the 12 Animals. Chinese Astrology uses one's birthday and birth time to predict their fortune. The Five Elements are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and the twelve animals are Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep/Goat, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig. 2015 is the year of the Wooden Goat. Because Wood(tree) is connected to the color Green, 2015 is the year of the Green Wooden Goat.

Spring Festival History

The Spring Festival has a history of more than 4,000 years. It is said that it originated from a belief in deities that had to be sacrificed to every year. When the seasons changed, dictating farming activities, especially at the end of a year, people would sacrifice to the deities and pray for a good harvest.

Many cultural activities occur during the festival. Rural areas and small towns retain more traditional celebrations, such as setting off firecrackers, ancestor worship, and dragon dances. Setting off firecrackers and fireworks are common during the Spring Festival season all over China; dragon dances and ancestor worship less so in the city.

Every street, building, and house is decorated with red. “Red” is the main color for the festival, as it is believed to be an auspicious color. Red lanterns hang in streets; red couplets are pasted on doors; banks and official buildings are decorated with red New Year pictures depicting images of prosperity.

The Goat's Personality: Calm and Gentle...

People born in a year of the Goat are generally believed to be gentle, mild-mannered, shy, stable, sympathetic, amicable, and brimming with a strong sense of kindheartedness and justice.

They have very delicate thoughts, strong creativity, and perseverance, and acquire professional skills well. Although they look gentle on the surface, they are tough on the inside, always insisting on their own opinions in their minds. They have strong inner resilience and excellent defensive instincts. Though they prefer to be in groups, they do not want to be the center of attention. They are reserved and quiet, most likely because they like spending much time in their thoughts. Goats like to spend money on fashionable things that give them a first class appearance. Although goats enjoy spending money on the finer things in life, they are not snobbish.

Year of Birth: 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1991, 2003, 2015

Lucky Colors: Brown, Red, Purple

Lucky numbers: 2, 7

Lucky flowers: Carnation, Primrose
Famous people born in the year of the Goat: Mark Twain, Barbara Walters, Jamie Foxx, Jane Austen, Michelangelo

Happy New Year!

~Kelly Cranmer Valadez