In the Chinese lunar calendar, the New Year is considered to be the most important festival. Traditional revelations have been ongoing for years and the same festive spirit is still alive even today. The unique characteristic is however the twelve year cycle that links the approaching year with an animal symbol.

The Chinese New Year animal reappearsevery twelve years. According to their present standing the next year should be the year of the Ox. The ancient philosophers of China studied the behavior of the animals in the calendar and drew a semblance with their personality traits and human nature.

You may consider the fact that the Chinese feel the person born on a particular animal year will have parallel characteristics of the animal. If you are born in the year of ox then you will have good talent for organizing while loyalty and dependability will be your big assets. Ox is also known to be strong and patient.

The concept behind the twelve year cycle with these animals symbolizing each year was taken from the Buddhist dharma. Ancient history records that it was Buddha himself who summoned all these animals before he himself descended to Earth. Then a race was held amongst these animals where the victorious one would be responsible for the first year.

When the race began, the competition was tough. The act of betrayal was seen in the rat who made a deal with the cat but finally didn’t keep his word. All along the race it looked like the ox would win as he wadedthrough the crowd but little did he know that the rat was riding on his back all through the race and just when the ox was about to finish the race first, the rat jumped off his back and claimed the first position.

Hence, we will see that the first year of the twelve year lunar cycle is the year of the rat as he cleverly managed to come first in the race and then it is followed by the year of ox as the hardworking animal secured second place. The ox is then followed by the rest of the animals in order of the positions they secured with pig having the last position.

If you are thinking why just twelve animals came to Buddha and why distinctly these animals then keep wondering because you will find no answers to these questions! The fact of the matter is that this is an age-old tradition which has been kept alive up till today and is deeply embedded in the Chinese culture. As a token of appreciation for their coming Buddha apparently assigned a year to each of the animals and that’s the way the legend has it.

Chinese new year zodiac animals are a great means of introducing the festival to children. If you want to know about other fun activities for Chinese new year follow the hyperlinks.

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The two most vital elements of the Chinese culture are the pictures of the Chinese dragon and the auspicious event of the Chinese New Year. They have been an integral part of the Chinese culture for thousands of years now and continue even to the present day. Besides, these two things have an uncanny link between them.

The dragon is an integral part of Chinese culture. The westerners only happened to know about it through their explorations into martial art movies and Chinese art work. Whereas, for the Chinese, this dragon image stands for a highly revered mythical beast that is prized for its beauty, uniqueness and spiritual powers.

With respectto the Chinese New Year, first of all we must know that the Chinese New Year is not the same as the New Year the rest of the western world celebrates. This is because while the west makes use of the Gregorian solar calendar the Chinese have always maintained the use of the lunar calendar. Hence their New Year depends upon the cycle of the moon and falls on a totally separate day than the western New Year.

The New Year event is a magnificent time to be in China. People are high on festivity and enjoyment. As the ancient Chinese culture goes, these people link animal symbols with the change of time and year. There are twelve animal signs in total which keep repeating after every twelfth year. So the sign of dragon comes into full force and fresh spirituality after the end of every twelfth year.

The Chinese New Year of the dragon symbolizes great strength. As it is the image of the dragon is taken as a symbol of spiritual power and anger if you will. The anger of the Chinese dragon is somehow always justified hence it has to do with correcting the erring. In that sense the angry dragon is not exactly evil. Rather the symbol is meant to be inspiring for society.

Chinese people believe that the streets have rights over you. When you are walking on the streets and come across evil the responsibility of blocking it falls on you if you have the strength or with your speech if nothing else. If you are unable to stop it then at least recognize the evil act to be wrong.

The image of the angry dragon seeks to repress the wrong doers. It does not represent wrong doing. Rather quite the opposite. The best of deeds is to avoid evil and discourage it while engaging in good deeds and encouraging them. Hence the Chinese New Year of the Dragon is all about bringing about a revolution through peaceful and festive means.

Chinese new year dragons feature prominently in new years parades in global chinese communities . If you would like to read further on other Chinese new year crafts click on the links herein.

Copperhead snakes have pale bellies, similar to the ground on which they live, but they sometimes appear pretty whitish. There are visible spots or pits on the head of copperhead snakes that look like darker tiny specks, but there is also a rather discolored stripe on the head area behind the eyes; this stripe looks very diffuse on top but it gets brownish towards the edges.

Copperhead snakes live in a wide variety of habitats. They can be found under rocks, in woods and on river banks or in pond areas. Their choice of abode is dictated by the presence of prey, as copperhead snakes live on frogs, small rodents, cicadas, lizards, caterpillars and anything else that is no match for their size.

Among the best hide-outs for copperhead snakes, wood piles, stone slabs, walls, debris and abandoned or ruined buildings are the most common, which explains the possibility of a human encounter with them in such areas. Copperhead snakes are most active in the spring and summer months and as long as the weather stays warm, after which they enter the hibernation period.

The dens into which copperhead snakes retreat during winter are their homes year after year, and usually there are more specimens living in the same place. In summer time when it is too hot outside, copperhead snakes will stay in the shade during the day and go out to hunt at night. On pleasantly warm days, the copperhead will simply bask in the sun on rocks or wood debris. Copperhead snakes do not hatch eggs, but give birth to live young. The number of young varies between one and fourteen. The mating period extends untill mid autumn.

The bites of copperhead snakes must have immediate medical care since they are not only very painful but they may also lead to permanent scarring and tissue loss. Avoid copperhead snakes when you come across them, since many people get bitten when trying to kill or handle them.

Snakes will not attack you unless they feel threatened, then, you will see how fiercely they can defend themselves. Statistics reveal that copperhead snakes have the highest incidence biting in the United States, because these snakes attack immediately without giving warning signs like other species do.

Interested in the Copperhead snake? To learn more about snakes visit http://caring-for-snakes.the-real-way.com our new website.

Similar to China Europe too has dragon like mythical creatures though their meaning and physical form is quite different especially European dragon has a negative meaning.

If you read through history you will find that Chinese dragon plays evil as well as positive role throughout the ancient history. The dragon symbol has eternally represented positive power which is evident from all the folk tales and artistic expressions that we have seen from China.

The Chinese dragon takes on various qualities which the Chinese people have attributed to it. It is rarely known that the Chinese dragon is the male symbol representing yang. Then again it is taken as a symbol to carry rain and water where the people are doing agriculture for a living.

A least known fact is that Chinese dragon has a female counter part. This not so well known being is known as phoenix. As a matter of fact the westerners take it for granted that the Chinese dragon stands for China itself. This fact is not true at all.

You will find that in ancient Chinese history the dragon symbol was restricted to be used only by emperors. It is well known that the common people were not allowed to use the Chinese dragon symbol during the rule of Yuan dynasty. Only during the Qing dynasty rule that the Chinese dragon was brought to be used on the national flag.

China has intentionally and badly tried to disassociate itself from the dragon symbol due to the negative political connotations associated with it. Because the figure of the dragon had a threatening war like perception in the eyes of the west the Chinese wanted to replace that image with a softer symbol. The alternate was the giant panda which is now taken as the emblem of China.

Chinese Dragon plays an important part in giving ethnic identity to Chinese people even today when some of them feel that they are the descendants of the Dragon and they truly have devotion in the powerful symbol. The identification of a nation with an animal is a tendency which started in 1970s when the Mongols felt that they have characteristics of wolf and Tibetans felt that they are descendants of monkeys.

The Chinese dragon symbol still occupies a special position in modern Chinese society. More than anything else however it is used mainly for decorative purposes. From advertisement campaigns to T-shirts, posters and tattoos the symbol of the dragon can be seen throughout the streets of China.

Chinese dragon signs are considered to be auspicious and fortunate in Chinese culture. To read more on Chinese kanji symbols click on the hyperlinks.

categories: china,animals,culture,poeple,family,spirit,health,astrology,society,social,spiritual,education

Who would want to choose a cute dog name that may not be fashionable tomorrow? People tend to play it safe as a result, hence why the same names have been so popular for so long. To try and break that cycle, five cool dog names are given below with our reasons why you should choose one of them for your dog.

Phoenix: What could be cooler than a bird that goes up in flames and then rises from the ashes? Phoenix is one of the cool dog names that will never go out of fashion because it is rooted in mythology. It has a timeless quality which has somewhat surprisingly failed to increase its popularity.

Star: Star is one of the cool dog names because it has so many meanings that you can have a hard time finding out where to begin. A star in the sky is a phenomenon and a star can refer to someone that outperforms in a particular field. It is indeed a high form of praise and therefore is definitely a cute dog name.

Lady: Lady is one of the most popular dog names but it is also one of the cool dog names because of the Disney cartoon film, Lady and the Tramp, which was a massive hit. The film made the name popular but also gave it some credibility. In this case, popularity comes second to cuteness.

Elvis: The coolest of cute dog names. Elvis Presley was undoubtedly cool and remains cool today even after his death. It is immeasurably cool to name your dog after such a tremendous icon who has never gone out of fashion himself.

Shadow: There is a dark and mysterious quality about Shadow that makes it a cute dog name. It would be used to best effect on a big dog though because it wouldn’t have the same strong effect with a small breed.

Whatever cool dog names you use for your mut, it is one sure way to give your dog an identity of their own and make your dog unforgettable to others.

Does your dog need training? If you need further information on dogs in general, then visit our web site called Successful Dog Training

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Heavy flea infestations can cause severe dermatitis in dogs, because the dog will scratch and scratch the area until he bleeds and can also introduce infection. If the flea bites cause an allergic reaction or even dermatitis in your dog, he/she really ought to be taken to the veterinary doctor as soon as possible, because usually, the dog will be suffering extreme discomfort by this time.

The vet will sell you a cream to soothe the itching and reduce the inflammation and some powder or a spray to kill the fleas. Prevention is better than cure and medicated collars are available to treat and prevent an infestation of external parasites like ticks and fleas.

Besides fleas, other parasites like ticks and lice in addition to the internal parasites like hook worms, round worms, whip worms etc. can affect the health of your dog. For example, if hookworm infects a dog, that dog will usually suffer from anaemia. The signs of anaemia become more evident depending on the degree of infection by the hookworm.

Hookworm larvae can pass directly through the skin and cause problems inside the affected dogs. Such dogs may show cuts due to dermatitis on the paws and on the skin. Frequently, skin rashes are the result in such cases and the affected animal passes loose stools, which are tinged red with blood.

Most dogs and all puppies get round worms, which is why dogs can often be seen rubbing their bottoms along the floor. However, if round worms are present in large numbers, infected puppies show a pot belly, which is easily recognized by dog owners themselves. Piperazine salts are given orally for the treatment of this condition. However, broad-spectrum anthelmintics like pyrantel pamoate, fenbendazole etc. are also used to treat this condition.

There are many drugs on the market to treat fleas and other parasites these days, although medications containing the drug ‘ivermectin’ seem to be preferred by many dog owners to clear up fleas and other parasites in dogs. This drug is available for injection or oral use but is now even available for external application too.

If you are having problems getting rid of fleas on your dog, please follow the ‘fleas’ link, however if you just want to read more about dogs, please go here: Man’ Best Friend – the Dog

You will need to be very alert and train your eyes to notice even the slightest movement. Wear clothing of dull, drab colours and move slowly, stopping often to listen for movement in the grass or bushes. In the beginning, you will have many false hopes, until you learn to tell the difference between the sounds of the different animals that live or hunt in the grass.

Snakes are not easy to find, because most of the adventurous snakes get killed by frightened (and often ignorant) humans, but a good tip is to look for relatively damp areas in arid regions and, conversely, dry spots in damp areas. Look for where their prey might congregate. For example, near water for toads and frogs. Watch for frightened lizards or birds fleeing for all they are worth. And listen out for geckos warning each other of the presence of a predatory snake.

If you need to move anything, at least don’t wreck it and furthermore, make sure you put it back as you found it. Two useful tools while out looking for snakes and other reptiles are binoculars (for tree snakes) and a snake-hook, which should also be used for moving bits of debris so that you don’t risk getting bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion. A camera, a torch and a notebook and pen are quite, depending on how seriously you treat your interest in herpetology.

You might also take a rule or tape to measure your specimens and a few plastic bags and boxes to hold them while you are doing it. However, do not harm anything and do not take anything home with you either! Apart from it not being right to walk into their domain and cause mayhem, it is often against the law too. Be very wary of picking up any snake that you cannot 100% positively identify as non-poisonous. You could be miles from anywhere and will probably not have any anti-venom with you. Since many snakes can kill within 30 minutes, you would probably die.

To summarize, go looking for snakes by all means. However, take it easy and slowly and wear camouflaged clothing. Furthermore, wear strong, hiking boots to give you some protection where you are most vulnerable and do not disturb anything you don’t have to. Take a snake-hook to move things if you need to; a tape, torch, camera, notebook and pen to record your experience and/or findings and a few clear plastic receptacles just in case you feel that you need to pick something up.

I hope you enjoy your hunt for snakes and other reptiles, but remember that they are not friendly and they are definitely not pets and be wary of bites especially when your search is not taking place in the gardens of a hospital!

If you are interested in snakes and reptiles, you ought to go to our website entitled Caring for Snakes