Chinese New Year 2018: Year of the Dog

Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Hei Fat Choy! Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Whatever your preferred language is, I want to wish all of you a Happy Lunar New Year! Bring out the red envelopes, tang yuan (sweet rice balls), and firecrackers as we celebrate Chinese New Year and ring in the Year of the Dog.

If you were born in the years 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, or 2018, your Chinese zodiac sign is a Dog. (For those of you who are not familiar with Chinese culture, there are 12 signs on the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The zodiac signs coincide with the year that you were born and start over again every 12 years.)

Just like the animal, people who are born in the Year of the Dog are said to be loyal, honest, friendly, and always ready to lend a helping hand. Dogs are very decisive people, and when they have a plan, they are going to stick to it; the downside to this is that they are stubborn because they do not easily accept advice or ideas from other people. Dogs also tend to be very cautious, worrisome at times, and a tad sensitive when it comes to certain matters. If you were born in the year of the Dog, does this sound familiar?

Some famous people who were born in the Year of the Dog include Elvis Presley, Mother Teresa, Madonna, Michael Jackson, J. Lo, Prince William, and the Biebs. Not a bad group of people to share your zodiac sign with!

If your zodiac sign is a Dog and you’re wondering what your year is looking like, I have some bad news. According to Chinese culture, your zodiac year (ben ming nian) is actually your bad luck year. Funny how that works, huh? So brace yourselves, you’re in for a bumpy ride in 2018. Dogs, greed and too much ambition will not work in your favor this year. Be careful with investments and how you spend your money, as your finances may be in jeopardy if you are not careful. When it comes to your career, that promotion you’ve been eyeing may not come as easily as you anticipated and you may encounter some tough social interactions in the workplace throughout the year. As for love, if you’re not already in a relationship, you might want to stay single through 2018 as Dogs will not be lucky in love this year. If you are in a relationship, try and take things slow and don’t make any big moves this year with your significant other, such as moving in together, getting engaged, or getting married. In general, if you are a Dog, it is recommended that you try not to make any big changes in your life this year as luck will not be on your side. However, there is some good news. According to Chinese tradition, you can try and ward off the bad luck of your ben ming nian by wearing lots of red – especially red underwear and accessories, and wearing jade jewelry.

No matter what your zodiac sign is, have fun and enjoy the Chinese New Year celebrations this weekend. Here’s to a year filled with love, prosperity, and lots of happiness! (And Dogs, the rest of us will be sending you good vibes!)

3,959 total views, 0 views today

1 thought on “Chinese New Year 2018: Year of the Dog”

  1. You are getting really good at the Chinese/Taiwanese culture Sam!
    Enjoyed reading your article on the zodiac sign of Dog and the zodiac year 2018 for the Dogs.
    Very interesting!
    Happy Lunar New Year! We will miss you while celebrating it this weekend.

Leave a Reply