Chinese New Year 2012 - Year of the Dragon

Chinese New Year 2012 - Year of the Dragon

The date for the Chinese New Year in 2012 is January 23rd.

• The Chinese Calendar 2012
• Significance of the Chinese Dragon
• Chinese New Year Jokes

The Chinese Calendar 2012

Unlike western calendars, the Chinese calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years.  Within the 'Stem-Branch' system is shorter cycle of 12 years denoted by animals:

2011 is the year of the Dragon.  It is the rén-chén year (Water Dragon).  Rén (Water) is the ninth of the ten celestial stems and chén (Dragon) is the fifth of the twelve terrestrial branches and marks the year of the Dragon.

   Rat    Ox   Tiger Rabbit  Dragon Snake Horse Sheep Monkey Rooster Dog  Pig
2008 2009  2010  2011 2012    2013   2014  2015  2016    2017    2018 2007

Calculating 'When is the Chinese New Year in 2012'

The fact that the date of Chinese New Year varies within about a month is a clue that it's linked to the new moon.  A rough, and almost infalible guide is that the Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice.  The winter solstice always falls on December 21st, the next new moon is on December 24th, and the second new moon is on January 23rd 2012.

Will and Guy admit that the precise rules for determining 'When is the Chinese New Year', are far more complex.  For example, one problem with any lunar calendar system is that some years there are 13 new moons.  The Chinese deal with this be slotting in an extra intercalary month.

The Chinese New Year Calendar - With Its Associated 12 Animals

The lunar Chinese New Year calendar below shows which of 12 animals you are!  Naturally the animal depends on the year in which you were born.  Note: if you were born in January or February you need to check if your birthday was before or after the date of that Chinese New Year (if it was before this day your animal is the one shown for the previous year).

Rat	1900	1912	1924	1936	1948	1960	1972	1984	1996	2008
Ox	1901	1913	1925	1937	1949	1961	1973	1985	1997	2009
Tiger	1902	1914	1926	1938	1950	1962	1974	1986	1998	2010
Rabbit	1903	1915	1927	1939	1951	1963	1975	1987	1999	2011
Dragon	1904	1916	1928	1940	1952	1964	1976	1988	2000	2012
Snake	1905	1917	1929	1941	1953	1965	1977	1989	2001	2013
Horse	1906	1918	1930	1942	1954	1966	1978	1990	2002	2014
Sheep	1907	1919	1931	1943	1955	1967	1979	1991	2003	2015
Monkey	1908	1920	1932	1944	1956	1968	1980	1992	2004	2016
Rooster	1909	1921	1933	1945	1957	1969	1981	1993	2005	2017
Dog	1910	1922	1934	1946	1958	1970	1982	1994	2006	2018
Pig	1911	1923	1935	1947	1959	1971	1983	1995	2007	2019

60 Year Cycle of the Chinese New Year Calendar

Unlike western calendars, the Chinese calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years.  Within the 'Stem-Branch' system is shorter 'Celestial' cycle of 12 years denoted by animals.  Furthermore, the Chinese believe that people born in a particular year take on the characteristics of the animal associated with that year. 

   Rat    Ox   Tiger  Rabbit Dragon  Snake Horse Sheep Monkey Rooster  Dog   Pig
2008 2009  2010  2011   2012  2013   2014  2015   2016     2017   2018 2007

Another dimension of the Chinese zodiac is the 5 'Terrestrial' elements of metal, water, wood, fire and earth.

If the year ends in 0 it is Yang Metal.
If the year ends in 1 it is Yin Metal.
If the year ends in 2 it is Yang Water.
If the year ends in 3 it is Yin Water.
If the year ends in 4 it is Yang Wood.
If the year ends in 5 it is Yin Wood.
If the year ends in 6 it is Yang Fire.
If the year ends in 7 it is Yin Fire.
If the year ends in 8 it is Yang Earth.
If the year ends in 9 it is Yin Earth.

Start date for the Chinese New Year Calendar 2010 and other years

The lunar Chinese New Years dates are:
2010 - Feb 14;  2011 - Feb 3;  2012 - Jan 23;  2013 - Feb 10;  2014 - Jan 31

See more on the Chinese New Year

Dates for Chinese Valentine's Day

'When is the Chinese Valentine's Day in 2012?', is sure to be a mean question in pub quizzes.  So prepared, know the date, and remember the rule, 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar.

• Year 2012 - 23rd August, 2012.

Chinese Year of The Dragon - 2012

The Significance of the Chinese Dragon

Chinese around the world, proudly proclaim themselves "Lung Tik Chuan Ren" which may be translated as Descendents of the Dragon. Unlike the negative energies associated with Western Dragons, most Eastern Dragons are beautiful, friendly, and wise. They are the angels of the Orient. Instead of being hated, they are loved and worshipped.

Chinese dragons have a horse's head and a snake's body. Often they have four jaws. Chinese dragons are divided into Heavenly Dragons, Earthly Dragons and Dragons in water. The most well-known dragons are the Four Sea Dragon Kings governing the east, south, west, north side of the sea. These Four Sea Dragon Kings are in charge of creating clouds and rains for human world. Chinese people do not call a water faucet a tap, but a "Water Dragon Head".

The dragon is regarded as the symbol of the Chinese nation and can be seen everywhere in its culture: including literature, architecture, art, furniture and even clothing.

Dragon Folklore

Dragons are an important part of many Chinese festivals, including Chinese New Year. In ancient China, dragons did not breathe fire. Dragons were wise and caring. They guarded the wind, the rain, the rivers, precious metals and gems.

Many countries use dragons in their art, especially China, Korea and Japan. It's easy to tell the difference between Chinese, Korean and Japanese dragons. Just count the dragon's toes. Of course, you have to get really close. Sometimes it looks as if they have 3 toes, when they really have 5, because some are hidden from sight.  But, for a quick rule of toe:

• Chinese dragons have five toes
• Korean dragons have four toes
• Japanese dragons have three toes

Funny Legend of the Dragon

The farther dragons travel from their home in China, the more toes they lose. Fortunately, Will and Guy have discovered, when wandering dragons return home to China, all their missing toes grow back.  Since most dragons would prefer to keep all their toes, all the time, few dragons ever wander very far from home.

Chinese Character for the Dragon

Chinese Phrases

搞笑清洁笑话 in China roughly translates into clean funny jokes.

干净免费笑话,故事图片、视频剪辑 means clean free jokes, stories pictures and video-clips

Chinese New Year Jokes, Proverbs and Stories

Chinese Proverbs

• Wife who put husband in doghouse soon find him in cathouse.
• War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left.
• A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
• He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
• Chinese 'Cracked Pot' parable

How To Speak Chinese Funny

• I thought you were on a diet................Wai Yu Mun Ching?
• This is a tow-away zone......................No Pah King
• Our meeting is scheduled for next week......Wai Yu Kum Nao?
• Staying out of sight............................Lei Ying Lo
• See more funny Chinese speak

20 Number 6

It was Chinese New Year.  Bill and Jackson had just staggered back home from a hard night's drinking when they noticed that a menu from the new restaurant next door had come through the letter box.  On a whim they decided to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a take-away.  Jackson, was just off out of the door to fetch their meal when Bill turned to him and said, 'Please get me 20 number 6 while you're at the take-away.

Jackson returned with their chicken Chou Mein, sweet and sour pork and 20 portions of egg fried rice.  Bill said, 'Where's me fags'. Jackson said, 'What cigarettes, you asked for 20 number 6 and that's what you've got, enough egg fried rice to feed a Chinese Junk from Shanghai to Hong Kong'.

Bill said, 'When I was last in England Embassy No 6 was a packet of fags.'

It's a Dog's Life

Meanwhile, Bill and Jackson's wives decided to dine out a new Chinese Restaurant.  Jackson's wife Julie was inseparable from her Pekingese dog called 'Pepe'.  So they took Pepe along with them to the restaurant.   Whenever they went to their usual restaurant the manager's wife looked after Pepe while they ate, and they thought it would be no different this new restaurant.

Julie and her friend Rachel, gave Pepe to the owner and went to their seats.  They ordered their meal, had a few drinks and eventually their meal arrived.  They were mortified when it turned out to be their beloved Pepe surrounded by Chop Suey.

As the owner explained the next day to Bill and Jackson, they thought that Julie and Rachel wanted the chef to cook the dog, not look after it while the women dined.

One-liners

• How did an embarrassed panda get mistaken for a newspaper?  They are both black and white, and red all over!
• What's purple, 10,000 km long and 12m high?
  The grape wall of China.

Traditional Chinese Sense of Humour

Prime Minister Chang was happy enough to write, but he didn't put in a lot of care into his brush strokes. Everybody sneered at his bad handwriting, and the Prime Minister himself really didn't care.

One day Chang thought of a beautiful sentence and at once wielded his writing brush to write it down, indeed, there were dragons flying and snakes dancing all over the paper. Then he ordered his secretary to write it out neatly.

When beginning to copy, his secretary stared tongue-tied and did not know where to start. The young man had to take the manuscript back to the Prime Minister.

'Prime Minister Chang, I can't read your handwriting, please tell me what words they are.'

The Prime Minister read his cursive hand a long time, and did not know what Chinese characters they were, either. He then turned to blame his secretary. 'Why didn't you come earlier to ask me? I myself have forgotten the words which I've written.'

P.S. Please write to Will and Guy if you have any examples of Chinese New Year humor.

See More About the Chinese New Year Calendar, also Jokes and Funny Stories:

• Chinese New Year 2010   • Chinese New Year Stories   • Chinese New Year jokes   • What New Year

• Chinese New Year 2011   • Chinese New Year 2012   • Chinese traditional foods   • Funny Chinese food

♥ Chinese Valentine's Day   • Chinese New Year Lantern Festival   • Interesting Chinese facts   • Home