Lunar New Year: A look at the Year of the Horse

The Lunar New Year begins Tuesday, February 17, ushering in the Year of the Horse. The lunar calendar, used in both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, is divided into 12 segments, with each assigned an animal sign. The Chinese New Year celebration starts with the new moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later.

According to myths, the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac were selected through a race. This race was meant to create a time measurement for people. There could only be 12 winners, and in order to win, the animals had to cross a swift river and reach the finish line on the shore.

There are many variations of this story. Some say the Jade Emperor called a race of animals on his birthday to create the Chinese zodiac. Others say it was the Buddha who did. The stories are essentially the same, save for some minor details.

In Chinese astrology, each zodiac sign is associated with a fixed, or perpetual, element. Every year is associated with an element as well. The elements are metal, water, wood, fire and earth. 2026 is fire and horse. Depending on what year you were born, you’ll get a unique combination of a sign and an element.

Present-day lunisolar calendars include the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindu, Hebrew and Thai calendars. The most common form of intercalation is to add an additional month every second or third year. China will celebrate year 4724. Jewish New Year won’t be until September for Rosh Hashanah and it will be year 5787.

Famous horses

Rembrandt

Isaac Newton

Frédéric Chopin

Thomas Edison

Theodore Roosevelt

Nelson Mandela

Paul McCartney

Jimmy Hendrix

Adam Sandler

Catherine O’Hara

Jerry Seinfeld

Usher

Mike Tyson

Nelly Furtado

Davy Crockett

David Lee Roth

Salma Hayek

Denzel Washington

Neil Armstrong

Jackie Chan

Traditional practices

First day

Visit family: The oldest and most senior family members will be visited in order to strengthen family kinship. Also, guests are welcomed with sweets.

Second day

Birthday of dog: After being offered sacrifices, the god of wealth leaves for heaven. People will see the deity off, wishing for a prosperous year and eating wonton resembling an ingot.

Third day

Birthday of pig: People pay respects to the dead. Some believe evil spirits roam the Earth on this day.

Fourth day

Birthday of sheep: The fourth day is a continuation of the third day.

Fifth day

Birthday of the god of wealth: Respect is paid to this god. All businesses reopen.

Sixth day

Birthday of horse: Marks a time to visit temples, relatives and friends.

Seventh day

Birthday of men: Is the birthday of ordinary or common men and celebrated with certain foods.

Eighth day

Completion day: People have another family reunion dinner and a midnight prayer to the Jade Emperor.

Ninth day

Birthday of Jade Emperor: Celebrations held for emperor believed to rule heavens and Earth.

10th to 12th days

Feasting: More food and drink with friends and family.

13th day

Slow down: Vegetarian dishes are eaten to cleanse the digestive systems of all the rich foods.

14th day

Lantern decoration day: Preparations are made for the Lantern Festival.

15th day

Lantern Festival: This marks the full moon after the spring festival and the new year. Another reunion dinner is held, with lanterns and oranges being a large part of the celebrations.

There are over 200 different horse breeds living around the world today. Although breeds can look wildly different, they are all the same species: Equus caballus.

Over thousands of years, people created different breeds by mating horses that have desirable traits.

About 200 years ago, English horse breeders mated light, swift Arabians with local riding horses. This created the Thoroughbred — a lean and super-speedy breed used in horse racing.

Horse quiz

1. Can horses breathe through their mouths? Yes or no?

Answer: No. Horses are obligate nasal breathers. This means that they are unable to breathe through their mouth as humans can.

2. Do horses need to sleep 8 hours a day? Yes or no?

Answer: No. Horses can sleep standing up.

Horses have a “stay-apparatus” which is a system of tendons and ligaments that allows the horse to lock their legs in position so they can relax without falling over. On average, horses sleep 2½ and 3 hours per day.

3. What is a male horse called? Stallion, filly or mare?

Answer: Stallion. In the wild, a lead stallion guards the herd from the rear. The lead mare — a female horse — guides the herd from the front. A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule.

4. Which animal is most closely related to the horse? Cow, rhinoceros or antelope?

Answer: Rhino. Horses belong to a group of mammals with an odd number of toes. A horse foot has one toe. That rules out mammals with two toes, or “cloven hooves.” Rhinoceroses and tapirs, which also have odd numbers of toes, are the closest living relatives to horses.

5. What is the color pattern of the horse in the photo below called? Palomino, chestnut or pinto.

Answer: Palomino’s are gold bodies with white mane and tail. Palominos have this dominant gene color pattern in several different breeds of horses.

6. What is the tallest breed of horses in the world? Clydesdale, English shire or  Dutch draft

Answer: English shire. The largest breed of horse is the English shire horse, a famous working breed of draft horse. Stallions stand 17 hands or even taller at maturity. The tallest horse ever was a shire gelding called Sampson (later renamed Mammoth), who stood 21.5 hands.

7. Which term is not for a noise a horse makes? Laugh, whinny or nicker?

Answer: Laugh. A whinny is a greeting, the same as a neigh. A whinny is generally made with the mouth open, ears up and pricked forward. A nicker is made up of softer lower contiguous vocalizations. The tone of the nicker can vary depending on the circumstances and who is involved. You may often hear this when you are bringing food.

8. This horse has held the track record at the Kentucky Derby since 1973. Trigger, Secretariat or Seattle Slew?

Answer: Secretariat. Also known as Big Red, Secretariat finished in 1:59.40 and ran each quarter-mile segment faster than the one before it. No other horse had won the Derby in less than 2 minutes before, and it would not be accomplished again until Monarchos ran the race in 1:59.97 in 2001.

9. What breed of horse has the largest equine breed registry in the world? Thoroughbred, Quarter or Pinto?

Answer: Quarter Horse. The American Quarter Horse is one of the oldest recognized breeds of horses in the United States. With more than 6 million horses registered, the American Quarter Horse Association is the world’s largest equine breed registry. The Quarter Horse name is derived from the breed’s ability to outrun other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less. Some horses have been clocked at speeds up to 55 mph.

10. Does a statue with the horses hooves in certain poses symbolize the riders fate? Yes or no?

Answer: No. It’s considered the “hoof code” myth. According to urban legend, the position of a horse’s hooves on a statue tells the story of the rider’s fate. If both front hooves are raised, it is said the rider died in battle. If only one front hoof is raised, the rider was wounded in battle or later died from those wounds. If all four hooves are firmly on the ground, the rider’s death was unrelated to battle.Frances Pollard, a curator at the Virginia Historical Society, put it plainly:

“It is a simple ‘code’ that has been passed along by tour guides, history buffs and curious visitors for generations. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, the position and pose of the statue do not signify anything.”

Sources: nationsonline.com, webexhibits.com, astrohoroscopes.com, travelchinaguide.com, VietHoroscope.com, creativeartsguild.org, chinahighlights.com