Letter from the Northwest

Chinese New Year
2009 - The year of the ox

THE OX
2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949

Low and steady marks the ox’s character. Bona fide leaders, they are grounded, determined and highly dependable. They have the ability to motivate and inspire confidence in others as well. Those born under the sign are meticulous, systematic and real sticklers for details. They can be straight-laced and prefer routine, aiming to trash things out in a methodical manner till it bears fruit. Simplicity and straightforwardness govern their personality. However, the ox has a temper and it’s wise to get out of its way when it rears it horns. It is also a signs that it’s overly proud, refusing to seek assistance. The ox chooses to depend on its head to reason things and finds it hard to tolerate the week. Chauvinistic and even tyrannical, the ox is often grumpy, bigoted and refuses to forgive of forget for that matter.

Famous people born in the Year Of The Ox:
Barack Obama,  Napoleon Bonaparte,  Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, Margaret Thatcher, Dustin Hoffman, Jane Fonda, Clark Gable, George Frederic Handel, Eddie Murphy, George Clooney, Gregory Nava, George Lopez, Jack Lemmon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange, Jim Carrey, John Corbett , Jorge Garcia, Whoopi Goldberg, Bruce Springstein, Meg Ryan, Meryl Streep,  Princess Diana, Nomar Garciaparra, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Gere, Robert Redford, Rock Hudson, Picasso, Roselyn Sanchez, Shirley Bassey, Sigourney Weaver, Vincent Van Gogh, and Walt Disney.

The Chinese zodiac signs are determined by the lunar year in which you were born. The Chinese believe the animal ruling one's birth year has a profound influence on personality, and destiny.
The saying is: "This animal hides in your heart."

Years Corresponding to Chinese Zodiac Signs:

Rat	1900	1912	1924	1936	1948	1960	1972	1984	1996	2008	2020
Ox	1901	1913	1925	1937	1949	1961	1973	1985	1997	2009	2021
Tiger	1902	1914	1926	1938	1950	1962	1974	1986	1998	2010	2022
Rabbit	1903	1915	1927	1939	1951	1963	1975	1987	1999	2011	2023
Dragon	1904	1916	1928	1940	1952	1964	1976	1988	2000	2012	2024
Snake	1905	1917	1929	1941	1953	1965	1977	1989	2001	2013	2025
Horse	1906	1918	1930	1942	1954	1966	1978	1990	2002	2014	2026
Sheep	1907	1919	1931	1943	1955	1967	1979	1991	2003	2015	2027
Monkey	1908	1920	1932	1944	1956	1968	1980	1992	2004	2016	2028
Rooster	1909	1921	1933	1945	1957	1969	1981	1993	2005	2017	2029
Dog	1910	1922	1934	1946	1958	1970	1982	1994	2006	2018	2030
Boar	1911	1923	1935	1947	1959	1971	1983	1995	2007	2019	2031

The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the Chinese calendar, a lunisolar calendar. The same calendar is used in countries that have adopted the Confucian and Buddhism tradition and in many cultures influenced by the Chinese. Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new year containing a new moon (some sources even include New Year's Eve) and ends on the Lantern Festival fourteen days later. This occurs around the time of the full moon as each lunation is about 29.53 days in duration. In the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year, on a date between January 21 and February 21.