Studies 5 (Grade 4) Native Americans of New York State

CHINESE NEW YEAR

We know that in the United States, each new year begins on January 1st. Today, in China the Chinese people begin their year on that date too, but they also celebrate their traditional* New Year. This is an ancient calendar system the Chinese used to determine when to plant and harvest crops, and when to celebrate their seasonal holidays. Both calendars are used in China, today.

The traditional calendar is very old. It is a lunar* calendar based on the moon's cycle. It starts in January or February. The start of each new year varies, or changes, but when it starts, it starts with a big celebration that lasts for fifteen days!

Each year is assigned one of 12 animal characters. That animal is the sign under which you were born. Because the new year does not begin on January 1st, if you were born in January or February, you will need to look at the year after you were born to determine your sign.

Look carefully at the charts below. Find out what sign you were born under, and the Chinese name for that animal character. You may also wish to learn the signs of your family members and friends.

*traditional: having to do with customs or practices that have been used over a long period ofa
time
*lunar: based on the phases of the moon

Chinese New Years 1957 - 2004

Rooster (Phoenix)

January 31, 1957 - February 17, 1958	February 17, 1969 - February 5, 1970
February 5, 1981 - January 24, 1982	January 23, 1993 - February 9, 1994

Dog

February 18, 1958 - February 7, 1959	February 6, 1970 - January 26, 1971
January 25, 1982 - February 12, 1983	February 10, 1994 - January 30, 1995

Pig (Boar)

February 8, 1959 - January 27, 1960	January 27, 1971 - February 14, 1972
February 13, 1983 - February 1, 1984	January 31, 1995 - February 18, 1996

Rat

January 28, 1960 - February 14, 1961	February 15, 1972 - February 2, 1973
February 2, 1984 - February 19, 1985	February 19, 1996 - February 6, 1997

February 15, 1961 - February 4, 1962	February 3, 1973 - January 22, 1974
February 20, 1985 - February 8, 1986	February 7, 1997 - January 27, 1998

Tiger

February 5, 1962 - January 24, 1963	January 23, 1974 - February 10, 1975
February 9, 1986 - January 28, 1987	January 28, 1998 - February 15, 1999

Rabbit

January 25, 1963 - February 12, 1964	February 11, 1975 - January 30, 1976
January 29, 1987 - February 16, 1988	February 16, 1999 - February 4, 2000

Dragon

February 13, 1964 - February 1, 1965	January 31, 1976 - February 17, 1977
February 17, 1988 - February 5, 1989	February 5, 2000 - January 23, 2001

Snake

February 2, 1965 - January 20, 1966	February 18, 1977 - February 6, 1978
February 6, 1989 - January 26, 1990	January 24, 2001 - February 11, 2002

Horse

January 21, 1966 - February 8, 1967	February 7, 1978 - January 27, 1979
January 27, 1990 - February 14, 1991	February 12, 2002 - January 31, 2003

Ram

February 9, 1967 - January 29, 1968	January 28, 1979 - February 15, 1980
February 15, 1991 - February 3, 1992	February 1, 2003, - January 21, 2004

Monkey

January 30, 1968 - February 16, 1969	February 16, 1980 - February 4, 1981
February 4, 1992 - January 22, 1993

Animal Character and its Chinese Name

1. zi (rat)	5. chen (dragon)	9. shen (monkey)
2. chou (ox)	6. si (snake)	10. you (rooster)
3. yin (tiger)	7. wu (horse)	11. xu (dog)
4. mao (hare, rabbit)	8. wei (sheep)	12. hai (boar, pig)

Directions: Answer the questions below,
using the information and the above charts.

1. What is the animal character for your date of birth? ________________________

2. What is that date? _________________________________________________

3. What is the Chinese name for your animal character? _______________________

4. What is a good quality or characteristic of that animal? ______________________

_________________________________________________________________

5. What animal will be honored in 2004? __________________________________