Music

Happy Chinese New Year!

In the midst of the Chinese New Year we can look forward to the upcoming performance by The Tang Dynasty band performing at SKYCITY Theatre. The band is a legendary musical group in China and the Asia-Pacific region and is often considered to be the first heavy metal band in China.  Their style mixes metal and traditional Chinese vocal techniques. Come and join in the celebrations for the 2014 Chinese New Year, the Year of Horse.

To get in the festive mood we thought we would gather up some information about the Chinese zodiac and the year of the horse.

Chinese astrology is similar to the western idea of horoscopes and star signs. Instead of the year being divided into star signs like Aries or Libra, each year from February to February is give one of the twelve animals. The twelve animals of the zodiac are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Furthermore each year is also appointed one of the five elements; wind, water, fire, earth and metal. So 2014 is seen as the year of the wood horse.

According to Chinese astrology, the horse provided reliable and quick transportation for people before automobiles. The horse therefore, is not only a symbol of traveling, but also a sign of speedy success. However 2014 is the year of the wood horse. The wood horse is seen as having a very imaginative nature and people often seek them for their original and practical ideas.

 The previous horse years have been 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942, 1930, 1918 and 1906. This is the first wooden horse since 1954. If you are a wooden horse then your share your zodiac with such names as Oprah Winfrey, Jackie Chan and John Travolta.