Chinese New Year 2017: When it Begins and What Does the Year of the Rooster Mean?
While most of the world is done celebrating the arrival of 2017, the Chinese New Year will begin on January 28 marking the start of the Year of the Rooster.
2017 is the Year of the Rooster according to Chinese Zodiac, a 12 year cycle symbolized by the 12 animals. The world's largest population follows the Chinese Lunar Calendar to determine the important dates of each year.
According to this calendar, the Chinese New Year falls between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20 every year and the occasion is celebrated with much pomp and grandeur across the globe. The revelry typically includes new clothes, family dinners, gift exchanging, decorations marked by an abundance of the color red (a symbol of good luck and prosperity) and enthusiastic celebrations including firecrackers and the customary lion and dragon dances.
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Why does the Chinese New Year's Day vary?
The Chinese New Year starts when the first new moon of the year makes its appearance, between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. And unlike most cultures who celebrate the New Year for a single day, the Chinese celebrations go on for 15 days until the next full moon.
In Chinese culture, the start of a new year is symbolic of regeneration and the beginning of a new life which is also why it's known as the Spring Festival.
Year of the Rooster
The Year of Rooster will start from Jan. 28, 2017 and will last until Feb. 15, 2018. Roosters are those born after the Chinese New Year in 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 and 2017.
The people born under this zodiac sign are characterized as trustworthy, hardworking, and responsible with a strong sense of timekeeping. The Chinese believe roosters to be the most motivated and career-driven people. Their tradition believes children born this year are well suited to become journalists, soldiers, or surgeons.
However, the Year of the Rooster is considered to be the unluckiest in the cycle of the 12 Chinese Zodiac years (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig).
Roosters are encouraged to follow their lucky charms, days, colors, numbers and flowers to ward off the evil spirits associated with their birth sign.
