Many of us rang in 2006 on Sunday, January 1, but the Asian culture did not see 2006 until January 28. Chinese New Year, like every holiday, has its very own story, traditions, and days of celebration.

Chinese New Year is celebrated every year with the representation of an animal, 12 animals in all forming the Chinese Zodiac. The order of the Chinese Zodiac is told through an ancient story developed thousands of years ago. In ancient Chinese times people questioned how to calculate and record time in years. The people asked the great Chinese God, who was somewhat the equivalent to the Greek God Zeus, what to do. He responded by saying that the relationship between humans and animals is similar and close, and therefore the twelve animals that people know best should be used to record and represent each year. To determine which twelve animals would be used, God decided to call all the animals together to compete in a race, going from one side of a river to the other. The race was set to occur on God’s birthday, a date which remains unknown.

The story goes that the rat and the tiger were concerned with this race because they wanted to come in first, but did not know how to swim. Therefore, they decided to ask the ox to wake them up early to set out for the river. The ox woke up the mouse and tiger long before dawn on the day of the race, but saw that they were not yet awake and offered to carry them on his back until they reached the river.

At dawn the tiger and rat woke up, and all three animals were close to the river when the mouse suggested that they all win the race together. While the others happily comply, the mouse, still wanting to win the race on his own, tricks the other two. When the three animals near the end of the race, the mouse suddenly pushes the tiger into the water. The ox, who sees that the tiger cannot swim, begins to help the tiger, but still wants to win the race and continues on. The mouse still does not want anyone to know that it wants to win and quickly hides in the ox’s ear. When the ox is near the edge of the river, the mouse jumps out of the ox’s ear and wins the race. The ox comes in second place, while the tiger comes in third .

The great Chinese dragon is seen flying over the river near the end of the race, when suddenly the rabbit jumps in front of him and comes in fourth place, leaving the dragon in fifth . God sees that the dragon has come in fifth and is surprised because the dragon can fly. The dragon, who in Chinese culture is responsible for creating rain, explained that it had to send rain to the southern areas, and was therefore late to the race. Shortly afterwards, the other seven animals follow and finish the race. The snake comes in sixth, the horse seventh, the sheep eighth, the monkey ninth, the rooster tenth, the dog eleventh, and the pig twelfth - thus indicating the final animal chosen to be represented on the Chinese Zodiac.

Chinese New Year is traditionally celebrated for fifteen days, with respect to the new moon. On the first day of the celebration people congratulate family and friends on a new year. On the second day, married women return to their homes to celebrate with their family. The other thirteen days are spent celebrating by eating fish and dumplings, displaying fireworks, and giving out gifts. Fish is an important food because the Chinese character of fish is the same as the Chinese character of surplus indicating wealth and goodness. Dumplings in Chinese culture represent gold and riches, thus eating lots of dumplings during Chinese New Year indicates your wealth. Children are given small red envelopes filled with money to celebrate their growth and maturity.

According to www.chineseculture.org the dog “possesses the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people’s confidence because they know how to keep secrets” and “make good leaders.” Like all great humans, however, they have their downside in which they are “somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. They are compatible with those born in the years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.” Their opposites are those born in the Year of the Dragon. Happy New Year!