Chinese New Year 2016

The Race The Chinese zodiac follows a twelve year cycle, each of the years being named after an animal. The Chinese believe that people born in a particular year take on the characteristics of the animal associated with that year. The New Year Race

The Monkey Very clever, but mischievous. Love a challenge and can wriggle out of difficult situations by thinking through difficult problems. Highly successful and well-liked. Born in 2004 and 2016 Most in year 7 Children born this year

The Goat/Sheep Elegant, artistic and good-natured. Inclined to worry too much. Peace-lovers who prefer to avoid disagreements. Others may put upon them, but they are stronger than they seem. Family is very important. Born 2003, 2015 Most one year olds

The Horse Very hardworking and independent. Will work on and on until a job is finished. Very intelligent, ambitious and expect to succeed. Can cope with several projects at once. Easily fall in love. Born 2002, 2014 Most two year olds

The Snake Born 2001, 2013 Some nursey children Charming and good thinkers. Love the finer things in life, so only the best is good enough. Good at making and saving money. Patient, charming and wise. Prefer not to rely on other people.

The Dragon Confident, hardworking and always strive to be at the top. Full of energy, determined and will inspire other people. Don’t like routine and are excited by new projects. Show loyalty to friends, popular and fun-loving. The Dragon is the only mythical creature in the Chinese zodiac and is looked upon as the luckiest of all the animals. Born in 2000, 2012 Most of nursery

The Rabbit Affectionate, gentle with strong family ties. Caring and hates conflict. Peace-makers with lots of friends. Dislike being the centre of attention and enjoy the good things of life. Born 2011 Most of reception

The Tiger Sensitive, emotional and adventurous. Confident, risk takers and dislike taking orders. Good at seeing problems, but less able to see the solutions. Often seek a shoulder to cry on when feeling down. Warm and generous to the people they love. Born 2010, Most of year 1

The Ox An ox has high moral standards and severely judges others against those ideals. A born leader. The ox is bright and patient, a good listener but disdainful of failure. Inspires confidence, but conservative, methodical, and good with the hands. Guard against being chauvinistic and too demanding. Born 2009 , Most of year 2

The Rat They are expressive and are talkative at times. Ambitious, honest, sincere, generous, and able to maintain self-control, but often find it difficult to maintain lasting friendships. However, rat people may have a tendency to be quick tempered and overly critical. Inclined to be somewhat of an opportunist. Born 2008 , Most of year 3

The Boar/Pig Pigs are models of sincerity, purity, tolerance, and honour. Put your trust in them for they will never let you down and they will always try to do what's right. Pigs make a splendid companion, an intellectual with a very strong need to set difficult goals and carry them out. They are gallant, chivalrous, possess great inner strength, sincere, tolerant, and honest but by expecting the same from others, they are incredibly naive Born 2007 Most of year 4

The Dog Faithful, honest and ready to serve others. Believe in truth and justice and loyal to friends. Always willing to listen to people’s problems and is able to gain the respect of others. Will share their thoughts but do not easily forgive those who cross them. Trustworthy. Tend to worry too much. Born 2006 Most people in year 5

The Rooster Hardworking, strong-willed and confident. Well organised and good time keepers. Enjoy being the centre of attention and love flattery. Often outspoken and hate criticism of themselves though they can be inclined to find fault with other people. Born 2005 Most of year 6

Celebrations Chinese New Year is the oldest Chinese festival and has many traditions Before the start of the festivities, Chinese people spring clean their houses to sweep away any bad luck. On New Year's Eve, families gather together and have a large, traditional meal On New Year's Day children will wake up to find a red envelope filled with money and sweets under their pillows left by their parents and grandparents. How it is celebrated