The Chinese Year of the Dragon



The Chinese year of the dragon is now upon us and in many places across the globe people are celebrating its significance. The year of the dragon is the fifth in the cycle of the Chinese Zodiac and recurs every twelfth year.
It comes after the year of the rabbit and in many ways is a hotly anticipated time for many people around the world looking to make changes and understand who they are.

The Chinese Zodiac comprises the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
More recently though, the focus has fallen on December of this year with many forecasters citing the conclusion of a lengthy cycle in the ancient Mayan calendar as the reason for life on earth coming to an abrupt end.

2012 is known to be the 4709th Chinese year with some people saying that it is the black/water dragon year this time round.
The year of the Chinese dragon is one of the most highly thought of in the calendar as the creature is long associated with the country and also has an element of myth and legend surrounding it.
In Chinese philosophy and Eastern beliefs, the dragon is the ultimate deliverer of fortune and is a comforting presence. Because of this, people born in the Chinese year of the dragon are thought to be blessed and command respect.

Being born or celebrating your birthday in this year is seen as a great honour for all that follow the Chinese Zodiac. It means that people born in this year will generally have strong characteristics and be innovative, brave, passionate and enterprising. There will also be some that will be quick tempered as well as tactless but this is generally put down to them being passionate people.

Unbeknown to many, the attributes of the Dragon are tempered by one of five Chinese elements; Water, Metal, Wood, Fire and Earth and come in a five year cycle of characteristics on the ordinary 12 year cycle.
If you are interested in the Chinese year of the dragon and are looking to make changes to your lifestyle, you may want to think about what the sign represents about its people and their careers. As previously mentioned, we now know what characteristics people born in the year of the dragon possess, but what about ideal careers?

According to philosophy, people born in the dragon year will make good speakers and will provide inspiration to many. Jobs such as lawyers, campaigners, and salespeople are all mentioned.