January 23, 2012 is Chinese New Year's Day, ushering in the Year of the Dragon. Wishing you all good luck and good health in the new year! The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. The start of the year is based on the cycles of the moon, and can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. This year it falls on January 23. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each. The animals representing the rotating 12 year cycle are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In addition to the 12 animals, the Chinese Zodiac involves 5 elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth. These elements are associated with the 5 major planets Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn, respectively. The 5 elements and the 12 animals combine to create a 60-year cycle. This cycle, along with Yin and Yang, directions, the positions of the sun and moon, and a birth date and time are all used to help foresee a person's future.