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Year of the Horse: Horses, Horoscopes and Holidays

By KRISTEN STERNBERG | NIE Educational Consultant

On February 12th, 2002, China proudly rang in the year 4,700. As you can see, not every culture celebrates the New Year on January 1st--or even agrees on what year it is! Individuals, groups and entire nations sometimes observe calendars that reflect their religious, cultural or historical beliefs and practices.

In the United States, as in much of the world, the Gregorian calendar is used. Gregorian refers to Gregory, a Catholic Pope during the Middle Ages. Pope Gregory determined the year based upon events important to Christianity. According to this calendar, the current year is 2002 A.D. (The letters A.D. stand for "Anno" [meaning: in the year…] and "Domini"[…of Our Lord]. Loosely, they translate as "of the Christian era.")

The Chinese, however, measure nearly 5,000 years with their calendar. In addition to being older, the Chinese calendar is based upon a 12-year cycle that some Americans are not familiar with. Each year of the Chinese cycle is associated with a different animal. In 2002, China celebrated the Year of the Horse. The 12 animals are OX (for those born in 1985, according to the Gregorian calendar), TIGER (1986), RABBIT (1987), DRAGON (1988), SNAKE (1989), HORSE (1990), GOAT (1991), MONKEY (1992), ROOSTER (1993), DOG (1994), PIG (1995) and RAT (1996).

These symbols make up the Chinese Zodiac, and every 12 years the pattern of animals is repeated. Which animal are you, based on the Chinese Zodiac? If your birth year is not listed above, you can find out what animal you are by subtracting 12 from any of the years provided. For instance, if you were born in 1984, you would be a Rat under the Chinese calendar, since 1996 - 12 = 1984.

People in many cultures believe that the year, month, day or even exact time a person is born influences him or her in events ranging from personality to health to life choices. You have probably heard of a horoscope. A horoscope is a prediction based on perceived patterns in the movement of the stars. Some people believe that people born in the same time period may share certain traits. In Western astrology, people are linked with the position of a certain constellation based on their birth month. A Taurus, for example, is considered by some to be stubborn because the constellation, Taurus, is a bull, and bulls are notoriously, well, bullheaded!

Babies born in this year, 4700, according to Chinese lore, will possess some traits or characteristics associated with the horse. According to the Chinese Zodiac, "horse" people are thought to be determined, devoted to their loved ones and popular among their peers. These traits reflect the esteem in which Ancient Chinese apparently held horses. Are these creatures as highly regarded in the U.S.? Some recent newspaper articles seem to indicate they play an important part in American culture. Check out the Daytona Beach News-Journal articles about some of Ocala's famous race horses and a race training center in DeLeon Springs as examples. How do you feel about horses?

Characteristics of other animal symbols can be found through the web links provided below. Why not check out the newspaper activities, too, while you're here? You can learn more about this topic and have fun at the same time!

Try these interesting activities using The Daytona Beach News-Journal

1. Horses are often used as beasts of burden, carrying heavy loads or performing other tasks to help people. Use The News-Journal to find other animals put to work by humans. You might be surprised at how many different animals you find. Create a scrapbook of clippings as you skim your newspaper routinely. Organize your clippings in a way that is logical and meaningful for you. From time to time, share your project with friends or family. Sunshine State Standards: SS.A.2.2.3, SS.A.6.2.4, SS.A.6.2.5




Preparation Martha works on some decorations for an upcoming celebration of the Chinese New Year, Thursday, January 29, 2004. (Photo: News-Journal/Chad Pilster)

2. Skim The News-Journal Classified ad listings to find horses for sale. Imagine you were able to purchase one of the horses listed. Which would you choose? Clip the ad of your choice. Then, using your newspaper, locate and clip as many as you can of each of the following items you may need for your horse: Food (hay, corn, salt block, oats, carrots, etc.), Accessories (bridle, harness, saddle, blanket, brush or comb, etc.) and Shelter (barn, shed, fence, boarding fee. etc.). Determine the cost for each item you found and compute how much it would cost to buy and keep a horse. (Sunshine State Standards: MA.A.3.2.1, MA.A.3.2.2, MA.A.3.2.3)



3. Use The News-Journal to find as many of the 12 symbols of the Chinese zodiac as you can. (For a list of the symbols, see above or follow this link.) Design a poster showing the 12 symbols (draw any you were unable to locate, if necessary). Next, locate and read the horoscope published in The News-Journal daily. What kinds of predictions are given? Invent a similar horoscope for each item in your Chinese zodiac poster. Tell your family and friends what is in store for them. (Sunshine State Standards: SS.A.2.2.1, SS.A.6.2.4, SS.A.6.2.5, SS.B.1.2.5)



4. Poll as many friends, family members or classmates as you can and record the years they were born. Use your News-Journal and other resources to determine which symbol of the Chinese zodiac each person is. Figure out if they have any traits in common. Would you be able to generalize any traits about each symbol? (Sunshine State Standards: SS.A.6.2.4, SS.A.6.2.5, SS.B.1.2.5)



5. The Chinese New Year is a festive time, typically celebrated with parades and ritual dances, colorful costumes, fireworks and special foods. Take a few moments to check The News-Journal's Entertainment section for other, ethnic festivities. Choose one or two you're interested in and try to attend with friends or family. Discuss the celebrations, rituals, etc. you observe or participate in and mentally compare them with other holidays you're familiar with. What do they have in common? How are they different? (Sunshine State Standards: SS.A.6.2.4, SS.A.6.2.5, SS.B.1.2.5)

Check out these links to learn more

FamilyCulture.com provides educational and cultural resources for diverse families and their service providers, with a special focus on Asian and multicultural families. (www.familyculture.com)

How much do you know about horses? Here's a chance to see beautiful photographs of horses while you learn to identify some of the many different breeds. (www.ag.auburn.edu)

At Horse Fun, you'll find stories and poems about horses, along with games, brain teasers and mind benders. Check out the site's links to information on horse breeds, horse care and and handy hints on handling horses, too. (www.horsefun.com)

Are you a dragon, a snake--or maybe a monkey? Just for fun, read about the characteristics attributed to your Chinese Zodiac symbol. (www.holymtn.com)

Check out this list of special holidays around the world and see how they are celebrated. You'll find links to special foods and recipes, holiday greeting cards to send on-line, the history behind some holidays and more. (www.awesomelibrary.org)

What is the Lion Dance, and what's its significance to the Chinese New Year? Find the answer, and learn about traditional New Year's foods and decorations at this site. You can hear songs, see video clips of the lion dance and dragon dance, find clip art, make your own paper dragon and zodiac animal puppets as well as find a collection of costumes used in Chinese celebrations. (www.kiddyhouse.com)

Find books and stories to read, crafts to make, a Chinese calendar to inspect and puzzles and games to print and enjoy at Kids' Domain. (www.kidsdomain.com)

The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world. Visit the site and check some of them out, to see if they have recently published any articles on holidays or celebrations around the world. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries.

Some food customs of the New Year celebration

Most families prepare a "harmony tray" (chuenn hopp) offering nine snacks, all symbolizing wealth, good fortune and family unity. In Chinese, the word "nine" sounds like the word for "longevity."

Offering guests spring rolls and won tons resembling gold nuggets represent blessings for good fortune and wealth.

Asian noodles are frequently served because they represent long life. Guests hope they don't get a broken noodle.

Roast pig, duck and chicken represent good luck and may be served as well.

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