Lunar New Year 2019 – The Year of the Earth Pig

 By Jane Lyle

The brand-new energy of a Lunar New Year begins on 4^th – 5^th February, 2019. It’s the Year of the Earth Pig which Chinese astrologers tell us is generally lucky, friendly, and good for social movements and investment. Farming, agriculture, and ecological businesses can flourish in the Year of the Earth Pig too.

During this year we’re warned to expect heavy rain and flooding though, with the possibility of landslides in some regions. The Pig’s symbolic element is Water, the year 2019 is an Earth year – water and earth can create exceptionally muddy conditions.

This Year of the Pig 2019 ends with the new Moon on 24^th January, 2020 when the Year of the Rat begins a new cycle of the twelve traditional Chinese astrology creatures. The Pig is always the last animal in the Chinese astrology sequence of twelve years, each with its own symbolic creature. 

There’ll be big Lunar New Year celebrations all over Eastern Asia – countries include China, Korea, Laos, Singapore and Vietnam. And people from those countries will be celebrating wherever they’re living too, making this a New Year moment we can all choose to honour and enjoy. I don’t know about you, but I’m so much more ready for a fresh new year than I was back in the dark days of January.

Traditional Lunar New Year celebrations include gatherings of family and friends, remembering our ancestors, cleaning and organising our homes beforehand to promote positive energy or “chi”, and cooking delicious feasts to share.

Since western astrology says 4^th February brings us all a very chatty, lively new Moon in sociable Aquarius, it’s a positive phase for friendship and everything we share and do together. Aquarians love groups. So even if we can only connect via social media, this is a good time to reach out. And the Pig is a warm, generous and friendly sign too. 

So what is Chinese Astrology?

Chinese ‘astrology’ is about the energies and overall atmosphere of the year, and is actually very subtle and complex. A full Chinese personal horoscope needs your birth time and date, just like a Western horoscope.  But the basic foundation of this ancient system is the series of twelve creatures, each presiding over a year, plus the five elements – metal, wood, water, fire, and earth – in that order.

The five traditional Chinese elements have a sixty-year cycle. Each one accompanies the sequence of twelve creatures of the years in a repeating cycle of five. Multiply this by 12 and you get 60! You then get years with names such as Water Horse, Fire Rooster, Metal Rabbit and so on. The last Year of the Earth Pig was in 1959.

Each traditional Chinese element adds its flavour and meaning to the essential character of the year, and those born in it. There aren’t any of those familiar western stars and planets, for Chinese ‘astrology’ is inextricably linked with Feng Shui and Chinese traditional medicine. It’s about using the year’s positive energies to bring success, and finding ways to guard against what might be negative or unfavourable in the general atmosphere of the months ahead.

If you were born in a Pig year, you have some charming characteristics. You’re generally calm and generous, with a passion for all life’s pleasures. This sign attracts luck, and can become wealthy – although Pigs can be gullible and too trusting, so must learn to be cautious with money. It goes without saying that Pigs can be seen as lazy and greedy, but mostly this is said to be a very fortunate sign.

Pig years and their elements are:

1935 - water, 1947 - fire, 1959 - earth, 1971 - metal, 1983 - wood, 1995 - water, 2007 – fire, and 2019 - earth.

2019 promises to be a stand-out, or even challenging, year for those born in the years of the Ox, Tiger, Dragon, Snake, and Horse. And it’s said to be a fantastic year for Goats.   

So whatever your Chinese sign, here’s wishing you health, wealth, and joy for a very Happy Chinese New Year of the Pig! 

Which Chinese Astrology Animal Are You?

 The Asian and Chinese lunar year begins with the second new Moon after the December Solstice on 21^st December in the previous year. So the date varies each year, from January to early February. If your own birthday falls around then, you’ll need to check when Chinese new year began in the year you were born. Your symbolic animal may be the one for the year before.

RAT: 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

OX: 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

TIGER: 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

RABBIT: 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

DRAGON: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012

SNAKE: 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013

HORSE: 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

GOAT: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015

MONKEY: 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016

ROOSTER: 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

DOG: 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

PIG: 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019