Chinese New Year, “xin de yi nian” in Chinese also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most important holidays in China. It is a time when families gather to honor their households, spiritual deities and other ancestors.

Although officially China now uses the Western calendar which begins on Jan. 1, Chinese New Year is usually celebrated in February based on the lunar calendar.

Legend tells of a terrifying supernatural monster called Nian (“year”) that looked like a lion which preyed on local villagers.

A village elder advised the villagers to make loud noises with drums and firecrackers and to decorate their houses in red to ward off Nian. By following the elder’s directions, the villagers defeated Nian.

Chinese remember this day, the defeat of Nian,  as the “passing of Nian,” marking the start of the new year. The memory of this victory over Nian features the lion dance, a cultural tradition celebrated throughout China, with drumming and firecrackers performed to ward off evil spirits and welcome in a prosperous new year.

Each Chinese new year is represented by a corresponding animal from the Chinese zodiac. According to legend, the Jade Emperor promised that 12 animals would be featured in the Chinese calendar. A race then decided the select few – the first 12 animals to complete the race would be in the zodiac.

The rat finished first and was therefore was listed first in the zodiac. Following the rat came the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and then pig in chronological order.

2015 is the Year of the Goat but is sometimes known as The Year of the Sheep or Ram. Chinese identify the seventh animal on the zodiac as yang, which generalizes animals with curved horns. Because the goat, sheep and ram all have curved horns, the choice of animal is sometimes different on calendars.

People born in the Year of the Goat are said to be calm, gentle, mild-mannered, affectionate, yet shy. They tend to have few health issues. These people also tend to work well in groups rather than as individuals despite their general high regard for private life. They partner best with people born in the Year of the Horse.