# Happy New Year of the Sheep/Goat/Ram **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842 "2003-01-31T12:14:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/1 "2003-01-31T12:14:36Z")
Just finished a bazillion course Shanghaiese dinner, a string of 10,000 firecrackers is ready to go, the “hongbao” lucky money bags are stuffed with cash, now all we need is midnight and it’s Happy New Year. Lunar that is. Already sounds like a war zone with the fireworks going off and it’s only about 8 pm. Wishing all of you a very prosperous New Year of the Sheep. ---
**Author:** ![whisky\_coke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/977dab/32.png) [@whisky\_coke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whisky_coke)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/2 "2003-01-31T12:30:11Z")
Happy Lunar New Year. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/3 "2003-01-31T12:33:07Z")
Wishing everyone the best for the new Chinese Year. The rattle-bang full gallop of the Horse nearly wore me ragged, I must admit. Hopefully, _this_ year should be more creative than rushed. Happy new year (again)! ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/4 "2003-01-31T16:40:53Z")
Kung Hay Fat Choi! (Or something that sounds similar…😉 ) **sköt** and I are eating some kind of peanutty Chinese dessert dumpling-type pastry (don’t know what they’re called, we call 'em cholesterol bombs) and since everyone else will leave early today, perhaps we’ll have a few Tsingtaos at the office. Like I say every January 1, “Can’t be worse than last year!” Maybe this year I’ll be right… peace and prosperity, **eunoia** a.k.a. “gwei lo” a.k.a. “the goat” ---
**Author:** ![skot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@skot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skot)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/5 "2003-01-31T18:21:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by eunoia \* > **…perhaps we’ll have a few Tsingtaos at the office.** You buying? 😃 > [@](#): > > **Like I say every January 1, “Can’t be worse than last year!” Maybe this year I’ll be right…** …but probably not! _Pass the “cholesterol bombs”…_ ---
**Author:** ![Spooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Spooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spooky)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/6 "2003-01-31T18:33:39Z")
Hey! Thanks for the reminder…gong hay fat choy! My hubby is the sheep, I’m going to go call him up and wish him his best year ever! HAPPY NEW YEAR! ---
**Author:** ![Spooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Spooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spooky)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/7 "2003-01-31T18:40:45Z")
Correction: my hubby is the Ram! Happy New Year! ---
**Author:** ![sheepi83](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@sheepi83](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sheepi83)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/8 "2003-01-31T19:57:10Z")
WAHOO!!! Sheep rule 😃 Happy Sheep Year everyone! Sheepmom just went to Taiwan a few days ago to celebrate with her family back home. I want honbao!!! ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/9 "2003-01-31T20:10:52Z")
Actual question: is it the year of the sheep, or goat? Or either? I’m trying to write something about it and of course would like to be accurate. [About.com](http://About.com) says “Year 2003 is Chinese Black Sheep Year.” Another site says “2003 is Year of the Goat (black sheep)” I need help baaaaaad. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/10 "2003-01-31T22:56:44Z")
Chuc mung nam moi / kung ehi fat choy you lot. 😃 **Ellen** , I think it’s a regional thing. I saw in midnight at a big Vietnamese temple in Sydney. For the Vietnamese, it’s definitely the Year of the Goat. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/11 "2003-01-31T22:57:48Z")
Kung _ehi_ fat choi is the er… Spanish version… or something. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SnugTheJoiner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/12 "2003-02-01T06:35:43Z")
I’m not of Chinese ancestry, but I ALWAYS celebrate the Chinese New Year–because I was born on the first day of the Chinese New Year, lo these many new-moons ago. And this New Year is extra-special to me, 'cause I’m a Sheep. ---
**Author:** ![herwono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9f8e36/32.png) [@herwono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herwono)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/13 "2003-02-01T06:47:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ellen Cherry \* > **Actual question: is it the year of the sheep, or goat? Or either?** In China, it’s traditionally celebrated as the year of the goat. But the Chinese word “yang” can both mean sheep or goat. Last week I read an article about this. Some historians think it should be goat, because it was unlikely the Chinese people encountered sheep back then. Or something like that. Sorry I don’t have a cite. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/14 "2003-02-01T07:49:56Z")
I put sheep/goat/ram in the title because it can be translated any of those ways. In Chinese, it is simply “yang” which by itself is usually “sheep”. “shan yang” or “mountain sheep” if you want a goat. But as herwono points out, back when the zodiac started, “yang” could have easily meant “goat.” It’s imprecise and most of the Asian cultures that celebrate lunar new year have minor variations. Gong Xi Fa Cai ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-new-year-of-the-sheep-goat-ram/151842/15 "2003-02-03T14:31:02Z")
Thanks everyone for answering my quesetion. I think I’m going with sheep, as it seems simplest.