Chinese Astrology Over Yummy Chinese Meals

Another year terminated and a new one has just kicked off. At the strike of 12 midnight, different places of the world celebrated the onset of 2007. I was in New York during New Year's Eve, ticking off the few remaining hours until 2007 with my family and a few close comrades. We were in this restaurant in Chinatown in Manhattan that a family comrades owns, feasting over yummy Chinese cuisine. The restaurant's senile but good-natured manager, who was Chinese, told us that 2007 was the Year of the Fire Pig. He then proceeded with a loquacious explanation over what the new year holds for humans born under this Chinese horoscope.

I happen to know a speck of Chinese astrology so I didn't actually need to hear what the manager was saying and just concentrated on gorging my chow mein instead. Chinese astrology happens to be the oldest horoscope system known to humans, with its history tracing as far back as 2637 BC. The Chinese astrology is established on the Chinese calendar and the five vital elements among other things. Unlike the Western horoscope, the Chinese Zodiac is consist of twelve animals namely Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. For Chinese fortunetellers, knowing the year a person is born molds his personality and other aspects of his life. Frankly, I don't have confidence in astrology, but it's entertaining to learn about them.