
2018 Chinese New Year of the Dog
The Chinese Zodiac (Sheng Xiao) is calculated according to the Chinese lunar calendar and runs on a twelve year cycle. Each year in that cycle can be related to an animal sign. This year 2018 it is the Year of the Dog. The Dog is one of the 12 year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese Zodiac, related to the Chinese lunar calendar. The Year of the Dog is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol. This is a Year of Earth Dog, starting from the 2018 Chinese New Year on Feb. 16th and lasting all the way up to 2019 Lunar New Year’s Eve on Feb. 4th.
Dog is the eleventh in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac sign. The Years of the Dog include 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042... the Dog is man's good friend, who can understand the human spirit and obey its master, whether he is wealthy or poor. The Chinese regard it as an auspicious animal. If a dog happens to come to a house, it symbolizes the arrival of good fortune. The invincible God Erlang in Chinese mythology used a loyal wolfhound to help him capture dangerous monsters. Earthly Branch of Birth Year: Xu Wu Xing (The Five Elements): Tu (Earth) Yin Yang: Yang
Lucky Signs for People Born in the Year of the Dog:
Lucky Numbers, 3, 4 and 9.
Lucky Colours: green, red and purple.
Lucky Flowers: rose, oncidium and cymbidium orchids
Lucky Directions: east, southeast and south.
Chinese New Year celebrations, also known as the Spring Festival, start on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. The New Year festival lasts for about 23 days, and ends on the 15th day of the first lunar month belonging the following year in the Chinese calendar.

Chinese New Year decorations.
There has always been a special relationship between humans and the 12 Chinese zodiacal animals. It is believed that the animals you are born under affect your character in the same manner as the sign of the zodiac adopted by Western civilizations.

Twelve Chinese Zodiac stamps. The Spring Festival is a very important national holiday in China. Government offices, schools, universities, as well as many private companies close during the from the Spring Festival's Eve up until the seventh day of the first lunar month in the Chinese calendar. Nevertheless, some commercial enterprises such as banks often arrange for workers to be on shift duty. Public transport is available during the Chinese New Year period as well, so that people can enjoy the festivities throughout the land.
Just a few celebrities with the Chinese Zodiac Dog Sign are as follows, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Franklin, Bill Clinton, Herbert Hoover, Golda Meir, Voltaire, Marcel Proust, George Gershwin, Jane Goodall, Socrates, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Prince William, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Anna Paquin, Brad Renfro, Ellen DeGeneres, Heather Graham, Jessica Biel, Kelly Clarkson, Kirsten Dunst, LeAnn Rimes, Lee lee Sobieski, Queen Latifah, Ryan Cabrera, Shirley MacLaine, Susan Sarandon...

Chinese New Year celebrations.
You can work out your own Chinese Zodiac Animal by the year of your birth. Simply use our infographic below in order to find out what your Chinese zodiac is:
