This year Monday, February 8th is the first day of worldwide celebration for the Chinese New Year – Year of the (Red Fire) Monkey.
More than 1.3 billion Chinese people around the world will celebrate this event. Outside of China and Hong Kong, Chinese New Year is especially common in areas with large ethnic Chinese populations such as Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philipines and Myanmar. Up until the beginning of the 20th century, Japan also celebrated the lunar New Year, but the practice has been abandoned. In Western countries, Chinatowns in cities such as London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto will make extra efforts to partake in the festivities.
Each year Chinese New Year, occurs on a different date because it is based on the Lunar New Year rather than the Gregorian (internationally-used) calendar. This year the New Year celebrations will continue until February 22nd. Expect people to share unique sayings with everyone they come across while being very conscious of superstition and tradition.
2016 is the 4713th Chinese Year
Monkey People
People born in a year of the Monkey (1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004) are witty, lively, flexible, versatile, innovative, sociable, intelligent and have a magnetic personality. Being a clever animal, the Monkey is usually compared to a smart person – especially in their career and wealth.
Monkeys are wonderful to be around because they are fun, creative, and bring the sparkling energy that only the Monkey can provide. Monkeys embodies strong leadership potential and, like their best friend the Dragon, won’t allow anyone to tell them to do.
Monkey’s are also gentle and their honesty brings them an everlasting love life. Although people born as Monkey’s have a number of enviable skills, Monkey’s still have their shortcomings. These include an impetuous temper, arrogance, suspicious, somewhat selfish, fickle and a tendency to look down upon others. Even so, everyone loves the Monkey and it is not unusual for the birth rate to skyrocket in Asia during a Monkey year.
Additional Monkey personality, characteristics and traits.
What are you?
| Zodiac Sign vs. Birth Year | |
 Rat | 1912,1924,1936,1948,1960,1972,1984,1996,2008 |
 Cow | 1913,1925,1937,1949,1961,1973,1985,1997,2009 |
 Tiger | 1914,1926,1938,1950,1962,1974,1986,1998,2010 |
 Rabbit | 1915,1927,1939,1951,1963,1975,1987,1999,2011 |
 Dragon | 1916,1928,1940,1952,1964,1976,1988,2000,2012 |
 Snake | 1917,1929,1941,1953,1965,1977,1989,2001,2013 |
 Horse | 1918,1930,1942,1954,1966,1978,1990,2002,2014 |
 Sheep | 1919,1931,1943,1955,1967,1979,1991,2003,2015 |
 Monkey | 1920,1932,1944,1956,1968,1980,1992,2004,2016 |
 Chicken | 1921,1933,1945,1957,1969,1981,1993,2005,2017 |
 Dog | 1922,1934,1946,1958,1970,1982,1994,2006,2018 |
 Pig | 1923,1935,1947,1959,1971,1983,1995,2007,2019 |
The Chinese Zodiac of the New Year
Each Chinese (Lunar) New Year is designated with one of twelve zodiac animals that rotate in a never ending twelve year cycle. Each of these animals have individual characteristics that are further modified by one of five alchemical elements (Metal, Earth, Fire, Wood & Water) that also run in cycles. These elements are then connected to one of five colors (White, Black, Green, Red & Brown/Yellow) resulting in 60 unique combinations.
Depending On Your Chinese Zodiac Animal, each element has a dominant year in the cycle. It’s mostly used as a lucky element that is special to you. Since 2016 is a Fire year, the Snake and the Horse will enjoy some luck.
- Metal: Monkey, Rooster
- Earth: Ox, Sheep, Dog
- Fire: Snake, Horse
- Wood: Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon
- Water: Rat, Pig
Although, there are lucky elements, each element is determined by birth year. If the last number in the birth year is –
- 0 or 1, is a Metal element
- 2 or 3, is a Water element
- 4 or 5, is a Wood element
- 6 or 7, is a Fire element
- 8 or 9, is an Earth element
The Perfect Balance
Fire melts Metal into liquid. ⇒ Water extinguishes a Fire. ⇒ Earth absorbs and directs the flow of Water. ⇒ Wood (as roots of a tree) holds the Earth together or breaks it apart. ⇒ Metal, as axes, cuts down trees into Wood.
2016 – Year of the Red Fire Monkey
Chinese people love the color red, and regard red as the symbol of energy, happiness and good luck. This New Year will be especially bright and blazing. Red means go. Fire represents life., passion and brings joy and creativity. Just be careful not to play with fire, or you will get burned literally and figuratively.
The Monkey Year is a year in which anything can happen. The influence of the Monkey puts everything into flux. The Monkey is cheeky. It bursts with exuberance and has a lightening fast pace. The Monkey’s gift is its ability to find unconventional solutions to old problems. Things will get accomplished, but largely through personal and individual efforts.
Business decisions made this year should be based on fact, not emotion. The Year of the Monkey is for taking risks and being rebellious, a year where agile, inventive minds, sheer guts and bravado will win out. Now is the time of courage, action, anarchy, and true devotion to even the wildest of schemes or to start new endeavors. Word to the wise – those who can hang on for the wild ride, outsmart the confidence-trickster, and bluff their way through will come out unscathed. Those who are dull or slow witted, and can’t handle the stress will come unglued. The year can be menacing and easily overthrow old conventions that no longer work.
Under the influence of elemental Fire and the Monkey’s fixed element of Metal, it’s an era of building, creating and forging ahead. It’s a year of blazing opportunity and wild passions and potentially a roller-coaster ride of the senses. Risk, strategy, learning, change and progress feature prominently in a Monkey Year. The world can expect to see innovative developments in the sciences, technology, education, commerce and the performance arts
During this year, there are four signs who will benefit the most from the Monkey. Out of the 12 Zodiac signs, those people born in the years of Rat, Tiger, Rabbit, and Snake will prosper the most during the Year of Red Fire Monkey.
Chinese New Year is symbolic of letting go of the past and welcoming new beginnings.
2016 Predictions for each Chinese Zodiac Animal
RAT – In the closing months of the year of the Goat/Sheep/Ram (2015), the RAT should find that there is a lot going on around them and they will be involved with everything going on which can take up a lot of their time if they wish to stay social during the end of the Click here to find out more…
OX – The year of the Monkey is looking to be an interesting year for the OX and although they may be slightly cautious about the speed at which certain things take shape, they should still be able to adapt and accomplish some great things and Click here to find out more…
TIGER – The year of the Yang Fire Monkey begins on the 8th February 2016 and will be a year that will require care and planning on the TIGER’s part throughout 2016. In order for the Tiger to make the most of this year, they will need to take it as it comes and it should make things a lot more Click here to find out more…
RABBIT – The year of the Monkey is looking to be a steady year for the RABBITand there will be both high and low points in the year ahead. One good point to the year is that the Rabbit has very good rapport with others and this will serve them well this year. The Rabbit may be faced with problems and difficult situations this Click here to find out more…
DRAGON – The DRAGON may start the year of the Monkey with many plans on how to get this year as successful as they can make it and they will be able to accomplish a lot this year with many good aspects of their life but they will need to realize that Monkey years can bring sudden Click here to find out more…
SNAKE – The year of the Monkey starts on the 8TH February and can be a reasonable year for the Snake. There will be aspects of the SNAKE’s life that they will be able to do well in although this is a year for care and attention and if the Snake is not careful, they could create problems for themselves. In order to do Click here to find out more…
HORSE – The year of the Monkey begins on the 8th February and is looking to be one where the HORSE can use their own skills and talents to their advantage although this is depending on the Horses ability to remain disciplined and also avoid focusing on too many things at once; plans can change suddenly in Monkey years and Click here to find out more…
GOAT / SHEEP / RAM – 2016 is the year of the Monkey which starts on the 8th February and can be a good year for the GOAT / SHEEP/ RAM with a lot to do and see although the Goat will need to take care in certain aspects of their life this year as to get ahead of themselves and take risks could cause Click here to find out more…
MONKEY – The Monkey’s own year begins on the 8th February 2016 and has the ability to a fantastic year for the MONKEY. This year is looking especially promising for any Monkeys who have been feeling dissatisfied with the progress they have been making in recent years as things can soon turn around for them. In order to make this year as prosperous as it can be, the Monkey should Click here to find out more…
ROOSTER – The year of the Fire Monkey begins on the 8th February 2016 and can be a demanding one for the ROOSTER where there will be certain areas that require care; there will also be certain areas that leave the Rooster uncomfortable as they develop and in order to make the most out of this year, they will need to focus on setting foundations for their own year Click here to find out more…
DOG – The year of the Fire Monkey begins on the 8th February 2016 and is looking to be a promising one for the DOG if they are motivated. The Dogs natural instinct will play a big part in their results this year and they will be able to put this to good use in the year of the Monkey. Any Dogs who have recently suffered sorrow or heartbreak should feel a breath of Click here to find out more…
PIG – The year of the Monkey begins on the 8th February 2016 and is looking to be a mixed year for the PIG; their work life and personal hobbies and interests are looking promising, although they will need to work hard in order to achieve the goals they wish. The Pig may encounter delays throughout the year of the Monkey and will need to be able to work around any interruptions in order to Click here to find out more…
The Lunar Year of the Yang Red Fire Monkey runs from Monday, February 08, 2016 to Friday, January 27, 2017.
Interesting facts about Chinese New Year
- The date varies from year to year based on the Lunar Calendar.
- The holiday is oddly called “Spring Festival”.
- Every Chinese New Year starts a new animal’s zodiac year.
- One-fifth (20%) of the world’s population celebrate the Chinese New Year.
- Billions of red envelopes (“hong bao”) containing cash are exchanged from older to younger, from bosses to employees, and from leaders to underlings.
- The Lunar holiday is also celebrated in the UK, Canada and US .
- 4% of the world’s population are on the move for the holidays.
- The world’s biggest annual fireworks take place for Chinese New Year. Fireworks are used to scare evil spirits.
- The Space Age officially began in 1956, a Fire Monkey year.
- Monkey years are always leap years in the Gregorian calendar and 2016 is no exception.
Famous people born under the Monkey sign
Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Alice Walker, Michael Douglas, Owen Wilson, Daniel Craig, Mick Jagger, Bette Davis, Annie Oakley, Eleanor Roosevelt, Cuba Gooding Jr., Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez, Jimmy Page, Rutger Hauer, Jerry Springer, Johnny Winter, Roger Daltrey, Don Maclean, Diana Ross, Tony Orlando, George Lucas, Joe Cocker, Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito, Carrie Fisher, Ashley Judd and Rachel Ray.
The Monkey’s motto is “I Entertain”
Xīnnián kuàilè! (新年快乐). (That’s pronounced “sshin-nyen kwhy-luh”, by the way.)
The most common Chinese ways of saying Happy New Year are Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) pronounced “gong zee fah chai” and Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese) pronounced “gung hey fah choy”.
More Chinese New Year Greetings and their pronunciation.
18 Fun Facts about Chinese New Year
And for some added fun, have a look at this iPhone app to celebrate Chinese New Year The Great Dumpling Adventure App