The date for the Chinese New Year in 2016 is February 8th. This is the year of the Fire Monkey.
The Chinese Calendar 2016
2016 is the year of the Monkey. It is the Fire Hóu (火 猴) year of the Fire Monkey. Fire is the third of the ten celestial stems and 猴 Hóu (Monkey) is the ninth of the twelve terrestrial branches.
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:
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 2016’
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 infallible guide is that the Chinese New Year follows the second new moon after the winter solstice. The winter solstice always falls on December 21st, the next new moon is on January 10th 2016, and the second new moon is on February 8th 2016.
Year of the Monkey
The monkey ranks ninth of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac. The monkey is a clever animal and is frequently compared to a smart person. Pictures of monkeys are often placed on walls and doors to bring good fortune.
Characteristics of Monkey People
- People born in the year of the monkey are lively, flexible, witty and versatile with strong practical ability.
- They love to be active and they enjoy sports.
- Often highly intelligent, they are talented problem solvers, and are self-assured, sociable and innovative.
- They love being the centre of attention and have a magnetic personality.
- Monkey people have an insatiable desire for knowledge and show amazing creativity in their work.
- They like challenges and love to succeed, although they can be discouraged if things don’t go their way.
- Monkeys are mischievous; they are masters of the practical joke (though they can sometimes take things too far)
- They tend to be healthy (probably due to their active lifestyle) but should remember to take a break from their busy schedule now and again.
- Negative traits are that they can be jealous, suspicious, cunning, arrogant and impatient, and tend to look down on others.
Fire Monkey
2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey, fire being the dominant element this year. (the other elements are wood, metal, water and earth)
Fire brings huge energy and determination to the Monkeys. They strive to gain the upper hand and like nothing better than to be at the top of the tree. Being recognised for their achievements gives them greater job satisfaction than money.
In business they are good negotiators, persuasive and organised, but can get ‘burnt’ by taking risky shortcuts.
Fire monkey women, will be willing to give up their own wealth or dreams to raise their family and to ensure their spouse and children are successful.
Fire Monkeys should remember that there is a saying in China: “The further up the tree a Monkey goes, the more you see his bottom.” If they use their talents and energy well, they can be extremely successful and popular with all.
Lucky colours: white, gold, blue. Avoid red, black.
Lucky numbers: 1, 8, 7 Avoid 9, 2, 5
Lucky flower: chrysanthemum
Compatibility: rat or dragon. Avoid tiger or pig.
Famous People Born in the Year of the Monkey
Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, George Gordon Byron, Alexander Dumas, Yao Ming, Celine Dion, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Douglas, Owen Wilson, Daniel Craig, Mick Jagger, Julius Caesar, Bette Davis, Annie Oakley, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry S Truman, Captain Cook, Cuba Gooding Jr., Patricia Arquette, Alyson Stoner, Christina Ricci, Mitchell Musso, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez, Empress Wu Zetian of China’s Tang Dynasty (618 – 907)
Monkey Jokes
- Why did the monkey like the banana?
Because it had appeal! - What do monkeys do for laughs?
They tell jokes about people! - What do you call a 2,000 pound gorilla?
Sir! - Where should a monkey go when he loses his tail?
To a retailer! - Why don’t monkeys play cards in the jungle?
There are too many cheetahs there!
More Monkey One-liners to Drive you Crackers
- Where do chimps get their gossip?
On the ape vine! - What key won’t open any door?
A monkey! - How do monkeys get down the stairs?
They slide down the banana-ster! - Where does a 2,000 pound gorilla sit?
Anywhere it wants! - Josh: I taught my monkey to play chess.
Betty: She must be very smart.
Josh: Not really, I beat her two games out of three!
The Chinese New Year Calendar – With Its Associated 12 Animals
The lunar Chinese New Year (CNY) 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).
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 2014 and following years
The lunar Chinese New Years dates are:
2014 – Jan 31; 2015 – Feb 19; 2016 Feb 8th; 2017; Jan 28th.
Dates for Chinese Valentine’s Day
‘When is the Chinese Valentine’s Day in 2016?’, is sure to be a question in quiz. So be prepared, know the date, and remember the golden rule, 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar. 9th August 2016. Qīxī Jié (七夕節).
Chinese Phrases
搞笑清洁笑话 in Chinese 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.
More Monkey Jokes
A young pet monkey had an accident and needed a brain transplant. The veterinarian told the monkey’s human family, “Brains are very expensive, and you will have to pay the cost yourselves.”
“Well, how much does a brain cost?” asked the family.
“For a male brain, $500,000. For a female brain, $200,000,” replied the vet.
All the men in the family nodded because they thought they understood. But the mother was unsatisfied and asked, “Why the difference in price between male and female brains?”
“Standard pricing practice,” said the vet. “The female brains have to be marked down because they’ve actually been used!”.
Space Monkeys
NASA decided to send a shuttle into space with two monkeys and an astronaut on board. After months of training, they placed all three in the shuttle and prepared for launch.
Mission Control Center announced, “This is Mission Control to Monkey One. Do your stuff.”
The first monkey began frantically typing and the shuttle took off.
Two hours later, NASA’s mission control center announced, “This is Mission Control to Monkey Two. Do your stuff.”
The second monkey started typing like mad and the shuttle separated from the empty fuel tanks.
Another two hours later Mission Control Center announced, “This is Mission Control to Astronaut … “
At this, the astronaut shouted “I know, I know – feed the monkeys and don’t touch anything.”
Please write to Will and Guy if you have any interesting stories about the Chinese New Year 2016.
