Year of The Dragon

For about 1.35 billion people, or just over 1 in 7 people on the planet, 2012 is the Year of The Dragon. Every year, at the start of the Lunar New Year, or the time when the moon has completed 12 phases and begins a new set of 12 phases, the Chinese name the year based on The Chinese Zodiac.

Since the The Chinese New Year is Based on the Lunar Calendar, which is based on the phases of the moon rather than the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, the Lunar New Year falls on a different day every year. The Lunar New Year drifts 11 or 12 days every year, is only 354.37 days (rather than 365 days) and coincides with the Solar New Year only every 33 years. 2012 is The Year of The Dragon.

The Chinese Zodiac

The dates for the Chinese Horoscope coincides with the lunar calendar and the Chinese New Year will always fall somewhere between late January and mid-February. As with the Western Zodiac, the Chinese have 12 signs that follow in the same order. However, the Chinese name the actual year after one of twelve animal signs. [Squidoo]

While the greek Zodiac, which we observe in the West, is based on the constellation visible overhear each month for the 12 months of the year, the Chinese zodiac is based on years in a 12 year cycle. Last year was The Year of The Rabbit and next year will be the Snake. For a great explanation of the Zodiac, check out the Solar Walk iPad app.

The Dragon

Dragons in our culture are heralds of danger, destruction and misfortune. They are hunted by knights and feared by commoners. In Chinese culture, things are a bit different:

The Dragon is anything but a formidable foe in Chinese culture. Unlike the demon that gets slayed in Western literature, the Dragon is a symbol of good fortune and intense power in Eastern culture. In Chinese tradition, the Dragon is regarded as a divine beast. [IB Times]

And is it just coincidence that in The Year of The Dragon, someone found a real [non fire breathing, non-flying, very small] dragon?

A Reddit.com user by the name of Biophilia_curiosus posted a few photos that he took in Indonesia. They show an amazing species of gliding lizard which basically looks like a miniature dragon. Fans of the filmAvatar will no doubt be reminded of the flying Toruks… [Tree Hugger]

What Animal Are You?

According to Astrology in both Eastern and Western(1) cultures The sign under which you are born is influential of who you are and your personality. If you were born during the year of the dragon you might be:

Magnanimous, stately, vigorous, strong, self-assured, proud, noble, direct, dignified, eccentric, intellectual, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, artistic, generous, and loyal. Can be tactless, arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding, intolerant, dogmatic, violent, impetuous, and brash. [Wikipedia]

Personally, since i was born in The Year of The Dragon in 1976, I don’t see much of myself in the above description. What about you? What’s your sign? Use the table in this Wikipedia article to find your year.

-Mike

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(1): In this case Eastern and Western refer to China and Europe/America respectively. That convention is based on the fact that China is East of Great Brittan and Great Brittan was once the center of the world, more or less…

Sources:

• Squidoo
• Washington Post: Photo Gallery
• International Business Times
• Wolfram Alpha
• Wikipedia: Lunar Calendar, Chinese New Year
• Tree Hugger