2010 - The Golden Tiger Year

 The year, 2010 is considered to be the year of ‘Tiger’ in Chinese Zodiac. It begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. When for the westerners, February 14th is lover’s day; it is Golden Tiger’s day for Chinese. Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animal signs and tiger is the third animal. Tiger is a sign of Courage and Power. In Imperial China, ‘tiger’ represents earth and is a military emblem of highest supreme commanders of the army and symbolizes victory and fearlessness. This sign is considered by the ancient Chinese to be a sign that takes away three main threats to the family – fire, thieves and ghosts. The people born in the year of tiger are regarded to be having leadership qualities, courageous, unpredictable, dynamic and charming personalities.    
Background of assigning animals to each year 
 
                    The animal sign represents twelve year cycle of Chinese calendar. The Chinese calendar symbolizes a cyclic concept for time contrary to Westerners concept of linearity. While Chinese depends on the cycle of moon, the Westerners have a solar calendar. A new year begins somewhere between the end of January and starting of February in a Chinese calendar. The Chinese started to adopt the solar calendar since 1911. Anyway, they depend on lunar calendar while considering the important festivities like New Year.
                  The cyclic concept of time indicates that dates get repeated again and again in time span of twelve years in a similar pattern. Each year is assigned to each animal with a total of twelve animals which are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. According to the Chinese Horoscope, any individual can be attributed to a cluster of behavior characteristics based on the animal of that particular year. The animal signs also serve as a means to finding out the age of the person. People usually ask the animal sign instead of their actual age, from which they can calculate the exact age of the person.
                      The myth of the twelve animals being consigned to the twelve years is that one day these animals quarreled on who should head the years of the cycle. The gods decide to hold a contest and planned to assign the years to the animals based on their position in the contest. Since the rat came first, the first year was given to the rat. The last position was attained by the pig, who was assigned to the twelfth year.