2016 is the year of the fire monkey. Red is the five element theory color associated with fire and therefore it is also known as the year of the red monkey. The last fire monkey year was 1956 and the previous monkey year, 2004, was a wood monkey year.
The time of day associated with the monkey is 3 to 5 pm. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, this is the Bladder channel of Foot Tai Yang time of day. People born between 3 to 5 pm have the monkey as their ascendant sign and will have many of the characteristics of those born in the year of the monkey. The fixed element of the monkey is metal.
The fire monkey is year 4713 in the Chinese calendar. The fire monkey year begins on the Start of Spring day, February 4th in China. Start of Spring day is based on the sun’s position at the 315th degree on the tropical zodiac. Chinese new year day is celebrated on February 8th in China. The new year day celebration is based on the new moon day of the first Chinese lunar month.
The monkey is the ninth animal of the twelve year animal cycle. Monkeys tend to be intelligent, agile, adventurous, playful, and witty. On the other hand, the curious nature of the monkey predisposes them to mischievousness. The naughty monkey may be a bit of a prankster. The fire element in the year of the monkey enhances ambition and adventurousness.
The US Department of the Treasury continues its tradition of printing lucky money associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. The year of the monkey lucky money features a $1 note with a serial number beginning with 8888. The number 8 is considered a lucky number. Only 88,888 year of the monkey lucky dollars were printed and they sold out very quickly.
