Are you a pig?
If we’re talking about the Chinese zodiac, being a pig is far from a bad thing.
With Lunar New Year in full swing, babies born in 2019 will be born in the year of the Pig — and according to the Chinese zodiac, they’ll share personality traits with people born in 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, and 2007.
Pigs are traditionally seen as people who enjoy life. They’re energetic, enthusiastic and will take positions of power and status if given the opportunity.
But Tina Mei Chen, director of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural Community Centre, says there’s more to the lunar calendar than just the dozen animals marking each year.
“Each of the years go by one of the elements — there’s metal, water, wood, fire and earth,” Chen told Global News.
“The specific combination also shapes someone’s personality and what we think the year will be.”
Pigs born in 2019, for example, share the earth element with those born in 1959. Earth pigs are said to be social butterflies with friends from all walks of life.
“The pig is usually seen to be quite friendly, they’re hard-working, generally,” Chen said.
“They’re blessed with good fortune. The pig in Chinese culture is a symbol of wealth and good fortune.”
It’s not all positive attributes for the pigs, however.
“They also say that they can be prone to being selfish, self-centred,” Chen said.
“A lot of the stories about the pigs say that they’re hard-working because they want to get what they want — they’re a little materialistic as well.”
Next year, in 2020, the zodiac starts over again with the first of the 12 animals: the year of the Rat.