Welcome to the year of the Goat.

Happy Chinese New Year. Today, I write about the year of Goat (sheep) which is starting now in the world. Before that, let’s take a look on the Chinese Horoscope Calendar. Every year is ruled by a horoscope. The Chinese horoscope has 12 signs like the western horoscope. The Chinese horoscopes calendar begins with Rat and ends with Pig. Below is a breakdown of past and future years.

Fun history of the Chinese New Year

The beginning of the Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian. Nian, or chinese dragon, comes on the first day of New Year to eat the villagers, especially children. One day, the villagers started to put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after Nian ate the food, it wouldn't attack people. A god visited a villager and told him to put red paper on their homes and to place firecrackers around. He told the villagers that the Nian was afraid of the color red. In the beginning of the New Year, villagers hung red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors frighten the Nian. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. The Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk. The Nian became Hongjun Laozu's Mount.

Quick notes those born under the year of the goat.

Lucky colors : Brown, Red and Purple .
Lucky numbers: 1, 2 and 7.
Lucky flower: Carnation and Primrose.
Lucky direction: North. 
Lucky months: August and November.  

People born in the year of the Goat are generally more elegant, charming, gifted and very fond of nature. People born under this sign are also the most creative and artistic. They are also very delicate, good mannered and their charms always bring many admirers and friends.

Goat people are dreamers, but sometimes they are pessimistic. They can be lazy. If a person born under the goat sign has any choice, they would definitely choose to marry a wealthy person and sit back for the rest of the lives. They are obsessed with their appearance. Goats are insecure. They need to feel loved and protected.

Goat people are very romantic sensitive, sweet and darling. In relationship, they could be sometimes a little bit bossy and lazy, but with their gentle and caring nature, it will be hard to resist people born under this sign.

Like the rabbit, the people born in goat years tend to be kind and docile animals. They have low combat effectiveness and ask for nothing but live with the green grass peacefully. Because of their gentle nature, they are usually attacked by other animals. In the flock, they observe the discipline of the leader sheep well and hold the leader in the greatest esteem.

The people under the goat sign are most flexible and have bright expressive body language. The men may look slightly effeminate or have softer features. The women are born with a devilish charm to the opposite sex. They can be beautiful, plump to full figured, clear in skin but slim in waist… think curvy and buxom.

Birth times affecting the personality

Like the western horoscope, the people born in different periods of a day have different personalities and fortune (much like a western horoscope’s rising sign):

A person born during the morning hours during the year of the goat have a tendency to be more passive, conservative and lack independence. Their advantage is they are reliable. The women usually remain in proper and prim. They are conservative and reliable, centering their lives on the family. They are fond of studying cooking, flower-arranging, decoration and usually handle the home affairs well.

The people born at noon are irritable, unstable or spontaneous in character. Once they attain a small achievement, they will get easily excited. While meeting small setbacks, they will become seriously upset. So, there are always ups and downs for their fortune.

Like the people born in the mornings, those born during the evening hours are conservative. They usually do not excel at pioneering work as they are more methodological and analyzing in the pursuits of how work is done. As they are less skilled in social intercourses, they keep a fixed post instead of changing jobs frequently. Most of them can save up some money when young and live a good life. The women are good domestically, excel at managing financial affairs and providing order.

Now, the big question is:
Is there a parallel between Chinese and Western Astrological signs?

The answer to this question will take us on a tour to visit the 12 western horoscopes in the Goat year. So people who are born in the year of the goat can see how it will affect their western horoscope sign. This also includes those born this year in 2015. Here we go your both Chinese/Western Horoscope:

Aries Goat seems to appreciate everything and everyone around them and loves the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They will happily blend in with the majority of environments and social situations. As they are so naturally veracious, these people find it almost impossible to lie. This makes Aries fantastic partners that will usually be extremely faithful and devoted. They hate deceptions of any kind and will refuse to take part in one if asked.

Taurus Goat are mostly calm and collected in everything they do and the way that they interact with others. They generally have a cheerful and optimistic personality and seem to enjoy life and find navigating it fairly easy. A Taurus Goat looks at things and considers others impartially and with understanding. They are usually able to view an even picture of most people and the majority of situations. This helps them maintain a degree of harmony in their everyday life work and relationships.

Gemini Goat has a practical and methodical outlook on life. They like to keep organized and know exactly where things are. These Geminis can be rather fussy and sometimes a little bossy in their natures. They are home loving people who appreciate the security and companionship of family life and loyal friends. They tend to stick close to familiar surroundings and may sometimes suffer from homesickness if they are away too long. They are usually thrilled to be given things that incite their artistic side.

Cancerian Goat does not like to spend much of his time alone. These individuals are happiest when among a crowd. They still retain a high prominence of shyness and insecurity to their character and so normally desire company over solitude. As lovers, Cancerian Goats extend their loyalty to its limits. Once attached to a partner they are extremely devoted and protective. They make excellent providers (both financially and emotionally) within family environments. They take relationships, commitments and responsibilities seriously.

Leo Goat personalities are an excellent mixture of sensible and sensitive personality traits. The realistic common sense of Leo blends well with the perceptive caring qualities and characteristics of the symbolic Goat from old Chinese Astrology. The newer Western Astrology of Leo's character boosts the Goat's influence and gives Leo Goat personalities a bit more energy and a little less aggression. This balances out to produce very reasonable and responsible people who are highly conscious of the feelings of others. These are mild mannered Leos who are kind and generous with their time and patience.

Virgo Goat needs to feel loved and useful and can sometimes feel quite lost when leaving home for the first time. They usually greatly admire and respect their parents. They generally make excellent mothers and fathers themselves. When choosing a soul mate, the Virgo Goat occasionally looks for older people or those with mature and responsible attitudes. Like with everything in their lives, they make precise decisions when they are ready to commit and will stick to them.

Libran Goat is good at making decisions as they are inclined to give choices a lot of thought beforehand. Sometimes these people can do things without thinking first — this is rare however. It does not usually happen with important considerations but more with little decisions like whether to buy something extravagant or not. The Libran Goat can be an impulse buyer so is often best taking a close friend who can reign in a spontaneous shopping spree. They may be good at managing their money but have been known to overspend.

Scorpio Goat does not like to go through life on their own and place a lot of importance on personal relationships. They tend to put a lot into them and make highly attentive, considerate and committed partners. They will value the security, understanding and warmth that long-term soul mates and partnerships can deliver. Their sentimental approach to affairs of the heart helps them try to keep romance alive in a relationship. Unlike other Scorpios, these particular personalities will display and practice a huge amount of loyalty and fidelity in committed relationships.

Sagittarian Goats are quiet and bashful on the outside. On the inside they are emotionally very flexible and adaptable. A Sagittarian Goat may appear meek and mild initially but are quite multifaceted in their personality as you get to know them. These personalities are rather good at coping with and bouncing back from all sorts of situations. They tend to take life in their stride and tackle any problems patiently and calmly one at a time.

Capricorn Goats are sensible with a matter-of-the-fact attitude to almost everything. They see things in a logical way and can detach themselves from the materialistic labels or price tags. A Capricorn Goat does not often fall in love easily. They sometimes require a long process or passage of time before they begin to appreciate and rely on another. These personalities can quite often be as guarded in personal relationships as they are in every other area of their life. They will often only enter into long-term commitments if they are completely convinced that it is with the right person.

Aquarian Goat personality oozes with patience. This is the center of their character features that are affected by birth in these particular Chinese years. Typical Aquarians are not known for their composure. Those born during a Goat year are made exceptions. The level of eccentricity is slightly higher so Aquarian Goats tend to be more sensitive than other people. They crave a peaceful environment. Although they like the company of others, they will also feel the need for occasional moments of solitude.

Piscean Goat individuals are usually quite happy to take life in stride and go with the flow. These people love the security of home and family and are naturally compassionate in their approach. This makes them good caregivers. These Pisceans tend to like to stay in one place and often settle near their families when deciding on their level of independence. The Piscean Goat personality often opts to have two or three children when they form partnerships rather than just one. As partner's they are romantic, incredibly loving and responsive. They rarely can be accused of neglecting their mate's feelings or needs.

Written by:
Tareq Al Saud – HalfStack Magazine.