Chinese New Year 2016: The Personality of the Monkey
February 05, 2016
The Chinese lunar New Year celebrations are approaching, and this time it’s the monkey’s turn.
The Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is marked by the Chinese lunar calendar, which dates from the 3rd century B/C., and changes the date of its start each year. This year it is Monday, February 8. Each Chinese year is named after one of the 12 animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac, which is divided into 12 blocks (or houses), as with its Western counterpart, but with the difference that each block lasts for one year instead of for one month. 2016 will be the year of the monkey, and as can be imagined by its characteristics, it will be nothing less than exciting.
But before we enter into the peculiarities of the monkey, it must be understood where the lavish and extravagant celebrations of the Chinese New Year come from, and which are today celebrated in many countries of the world. As with practically all other oriental carnivals, the festivity originates from the act of placating local demons and blessing the harvest for each of the year’s seasons.
The Legendary Nian
According to legend, the celebration of the Chinese New Year began with the fight against a mythological beast called Nian, who had the body of a bull and the head of a lion. It was a fierce animal that lived in the mountains and hunted to survive. Toward the end of winter, when there was nothing to eat, Nian would come down to the villages on the first day of the new year to eat cattle and even people, especially children. To protect themselves, the inhabitants of the towns would put food outside the doors of their houses at the start of each year. Nian stopped attacking people.
The inhabitants therefore lived in terror during the winter, but over time they learned that the ferocious Nian was scared of three things: the color red, fire and noise. So when the new year approached, the people hung red lamps in their doors and windows. They also used fireworks to frighten away Nian. And from then on, Nian never came back to the town.
The personality of the monkey
People born in the year of the monkey are agile, curious, innovative and mischievous. But it is also believed that it is one of the unluckiest years of the Chinese calendar because it is a sign that is often deceitful. People born under its sign must be on their best behavior 365 days a year, or otherwise would offend Tai Sui, the god of age.
The general image of people born under the sign of the monkey is one of always being clever, intelligent and astute, especially in profession and in money. They are joyful, flexible and versatile and, in addition, honesty and gentleness brings them a life of lasting love. But although their skills are enviable, they have certain deficiencies, such as a volatile temper and a tendency to look at others as if they were inferior. Unless they have sufficiently strong and genuine values, people born under the sign of the monkey can be deceitful and take advantage of others.
Year of the Monkey 2016
The positive and negative aspects of the Year of the Monkey 2016, according to China Highlights, culminate in a year in which anything could happen. The influence of the monkey puts everything into play. Issues will be resolved, but by and large due to personal or individual efforts. Group movements, such as political uprisings or revolutions, will also play a part in this year.
The monkey increases communication, humor and astuteness, and it helps us to overcome moments of stress with grace and tenderness. The monkey’s quality is its skill for finding non-conventional solutions to old problems. Daring to be different can result in success.
It is recommended that one be physically fit this year as, obviously, all movement requires that one be strong and prepared. And although the year promises to be optimistic and progressive, there will also be a certain level of uncertainty. Everybody will want the best deal and there will be plenty of ruses, so nothing this year should be taken for granted in the political, financial, professional, domestic or emotional spheres.
According to those in the know, now is the time to be brave and to do things, rather than simply planning them or just talking about them. Those who can persevere on the wild side, sniff out the liars and be sufficiently astute to advance among the ambitious will have one of the best years of their lives.
Related Articles
When ancient rituals became religion
The emergence of religions irreversibly changed the history of humanity. It’s therefore essential to ask when and how did ancient peoples’ rituals become organized systems of thought, each with their
Seven ancient maps of the Americas
A map is not the territory. —Alfred Korzybski Maps are never merely maps. They’re human projections, metaphors in which we find both the geographical and the imaginary. The cases of ghost islands
An artist crochets a perfect skeleton and internal organs
Shanell Papp is a skilled textile and crochet artist. She spent four long months crocheting a life-size skeleton in wool. She then filled it in with the organs of the human body in an act as patient
A musical tribute to maps
A sequence of sounds, rhythms, melodies and silences: music is a most primitive art, the most essential, and the most powerful of all languages. Its capacity is not limited to the (hardly trivial)
The enchantment of 17th-century optics
The sense of sight is perhaps one the imagination’s most prolific masters. That is why humankind has been fascinated and bewitched by optics and their possibilities for centuries. Like the heart, the
Would you found your own micro-nation? These eccentric examples show how easy it can be
Founding a country is, in some ways, a simple task. It is enough to manifest its existence and the motives for creating a new political entity. At least that is what has been demonstrated by the
Wondrous crossings: the galaxy caves of New Zealand
Often, the most extraordinary phenomena are “jealous of themselves” ––and they happen where the human eye cannot enjoy them. However, they can be discovered, and when we do find them we experience a
Think you have strange reading habits? Wait until you've seen how Mcluhan reads
We often forget or neglect to think about the infinite circumstances that are condensed in the acts that we consider habitual. Using a fork to eat, for example, or walking down the street and being
The sky is calling us, a love letter to the cosmos (video)
We once dreamt of open sails and Open seas We once dreamt of new frontiers and New lands Are we still a brave people? We must not forget that the very stars we see nowadays are the same stars and
The sister you always wanted (but made into a crystal chandelier)
Lucas Maassen always wanted to have a sister. And after 36 years he finally procured one, except, as strange as it may sound, in the shape of a chandelier. Maassen, a Dutch designer, asked the