The Year of the Horse!

The 15-day celebration of Chinese new year started this past Friday (on the first new moon of the calendar year). Friday marked the end of the year of the water snake and welcomes the start of the year of the wooden horse. To bring you luck this new year, I've listed eight (a lucky number in China) things you possibly didn't know about the Chinese zodiac and the year ahead.

1. The Chinese zodiac – or Shēngxiào – is a calendar system originating in the Han dynasty (206-220BC), which names each of the years in its 12-year cycle after an animal: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, in that order. According to the system, the universe is made up of five elements – earth, water, fire, wood and metal – which interact with the 12 animals, resulting in the specific character of the year ahead.
2. People born in the year of the horse (1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014) are said to be a bit like horses: animated, active and energetic – they love being in a crowd. They are quick to learn independence – foals can walk minutes after birth – and they have a straightforward and positive attitude towards life. They are known for their communication skills and are exceedingly witty.
3. If none of this rings true, don't worry. The animal signs of each year merely indicate how others see you or how you choose to present yourself. There are also animal signs for each month, known as inner animals, signs for each day, called true animals, and animals for each hour, or secret animals.
4. If you were born in the year of the horse, you should be looking for potential partners who were born in the years of the tiger, goat or dog. Avoid those born in the year of the rat, ox, rabbit or horse. [I don't quite buy into this advice. Some of my best friends have been people that I'm "incompatible" with in the Chinese zodiac.]
5. According to superstition, in your zodiac year you will offend Tai Sui, the god of age, and will experience bad luck for the whole year. To avoid this you should wear something red, which has been given to you by someone else. In general, the lucky colors of team horse are are green, red and purple; the lucky numbers are three, four and nine, and the lucky flowers are giant taro and jasmine.
6. Raymond Lo, a feng shui and destiny consultant, says the year of the horse is a year in which people are likely to stand firm on their principles and values. "So it is hard to negotiate or compromise as there are more tendencies for people to fight for their ideals," says Lo.
7. When it comes to love life, the year of the wooden horse is not quite lucky. Marriages are not ideal this year; so those who are engaged would want to postpone their weddings to the next year, according to Paul Ng, a professional feng shui master.
8. Years of the wooden horse are associated with warfare. The battle of Dien Bien Phu, which ended with the defeat of France by the Vietnamese, happened in 1954 and 1894 saw the start of the first Sino-Japanese war. "With such serious conflicts on historical record in the previous two yang wood horse years, I cannot rule out the possibility of war and fierce battle in 2014," predicts Lo.

Mǎ nián dàjí!  [Translation: Best wishes for the Year of the Horse]

P.S. Did I mention that I was born in the year of the horse?  As I have nothing red that was given to me by a friend, I am left unprotected from Tai Sui's vengeance.  I'm am screwed!