Chinese New Year is upon us, and on the even of February 7, local time in Beijing, parties for this massive celebration will begin. This is The Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese Zodiac calendar, and if this is your Zodiac year, you’d better pay attention to this advice in order to stay lucky.

In Chinese, your Zodiac year is pronounced “Ben Ming Nian”. The Chinese lunar calendar assigns an animal symbol to each year, and that goes through a 12-year cycle.

According to the Zodiac, 2016 is the Year of the Monkey.

So which year is your Zodiac Year, or “Ben Ming Nian”?

The Chinese Zodiac assigns an animal, which recurs every 12 years.
That means that when you are at the age of either 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, etc., your birth sign year will reoccur.  Because the Chinese calendar begins in early February, you can be a different animal but actually born in January of the next year. 
So for 2016, also known as The Year of Monkey ?, people would have been born in early February during the years: 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 and so on. But maybe also in January of the next year until the new lunar calendar begins. 

According to the Chinese Ben Ming Nian, or Zodiac year, your year is considered unlucky

Popular Chinese belief says that during one’s birth sign year, he or she will offend Tai Sui, who is the god of age in Chinese mythology. As you can imagine, this is not good.
During your Zodiac year (mentioned above) you will not have good luck.
Most people who believe in this superstition, believe that one’s Zodiac year will bring nothing but bad luck. So their Zodiac year is named the “year of fate.”

So what kind of bad luck are you supposed to get during your Ben Ming Nian, or Zodiac year?

Well, it’s not fun.
People are said to have to face more challenges than normal during their Zodiac year.
Those who believe in this will often say that they hold low energy during all the months of their Ben Ming Nian.
They may also face misfortune and adversity such as:

A lost job

A break up with a partner

A financial loss

Chinese tradition has come up with ways to ward off bad luck that many fear during their Zodiac year

You can wear red (The more, the better)

Note: It’s not only the color, but wear something that has been given to you by an elder relative too.
These can include items such as socks, accessories, underwear, a belt, a bracelet or an anklet.

Another way to stem the bad luck tide of your Zodiac year is to wear your Jade

So why are Jade bracelets and anklets so popular in China?
Answer: They bring good luck.

Some also hold onto Tai Sui (the God of age) amulets, and carry them in small red pouches during the whole year of their Ben Ming Nian.

CCTV America Digital