Year of the Tiger

Year of the Tiger: All About the Chinese Zodiac

By Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience Staff Writer, LiveScience.com

This Sunday, Feb. 14, marks a new year according to the Chinese calendar, which will be moving from the reign of the Ox to the year of the Tiger.

Each year on the Chinese calendar is assigned an animal from the Chinese zodiac, which rotates on a 12-year cycle. People born during a specific year are thought to have attributes of their animal — tigers are confident, daring and unpredictable, for example.

The Chinese calendar is thought to have been formulated around 500 B.C., though elements of it date back at least to the Shang Dynasty around 1,000 B.C.

This system of measuring time is based on the lunar calendar, with months that are roughly the length of one moon cycle, or one swing around Earth — 29.5 days. One Chinese year usually includes 12 months, alternating between 29 and 30 days. Because this adds up to a year of 354 days, occasional leap months are added to keep the calendar aligned with the solar cycle (our planet's complete orbit around the sun) as well, where one year is closer to 365 days.

Chinese New Year generally falls on the second new moon after winter solstice (though this rule can be complicated by leap months). When the moon and the sun are on the same side of Earth, there appears to be no moon in the sky, and it's called a new moon.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not only the years in the Chinese calendar that are associated with zodiac animals. Months and hours are also tied to the 12 creatures, so people can have birth day, month and year animals that influence their personalities.

The 12 animals, and the most recent years they were tied to, are:

Tiger – 2010 – courageous, emotional, unpredictable
Ox – 2009 - solid, calm, reliable
Rat – 2008 – clever, charming, forthright
Boar – 2007 – sincere, patient, honest
Dog – 2006 – loyal, honest, intelligent
Rooster – 2005 – resourceful, organized, decisive
Monkey – 2004 – active, fun-loving, curious
Ram – 2003 – creative, gentle, compassionate
Horse – 2002 – energetic, independent, hard-working
Snake – 2001 – seductive, clever, wise
Dragon – 2000 – noble, energetic, passionate
Rabbit – 1999 – compassionate, sincere, sensitive

And so next year will be the year of the Rabbit.


Contact EyeOfTheTigersBlog.com at jma158@comcast.net.

Marple Newtown Football Boosters Club Host Banquet for the 2009 Season

BROOMALL, PA - The 2009 Marple Newtown Football Team Banquet took place at the Paxon Hollow Country Club on Sunday, January 31st, 2010. This event was sponsored by the Marple Newtown Football Boosters Club. Awards were given, the team highlight film was shown, and former Head Football Coach of the Tigers, Jim Smith, was the keynote speaker of the event.

The Most Dedicated Player Award was named in honor of former head coach and Athletic Director, Jim Smith. Smith, who holds the Marple Newtown record for most victories as a head coach with 57, spoke about the importance of dedication and committment. He presented Coach Ray Gionta with a unique Tiger necktie from Princeton University, given to him by a former student.

The Tigers Radio Network was there to catch all of the action including speeches given by coaches and players along with the presentation of various awards. Enjoy.

Full audio replay of the Marple Newtown Football Banquet for the 2009 season presented by the Marple Newtown Football Boosters Club.

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Opening remarks by Head Football Coach Ray Gionta

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Coach Steve Cull presents the Most Improved Player Award to senior SE/DB Vince Christiana.

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Coach Lou D'Alonzo presents the George Schmitt Defensive MVP Award to senior RB/LB Carl Kasarsky.

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Coach Ray Gionta introduces the former head football coach and athletic director at Marple Newtown and the keynote speaker for the banquet, Jim Smith.

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Coach Ray Gionta presents the Jim Smith Most Dedicated Player Award to junior OG/LB Brian Kelly.

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Coach Mike Doyle presents the Chris Gicking Offensive MVP Award to junior RB/DB Ryan White.

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Coach Gionta presents the 14th Brian "Woody" Peoples Memorial Scholarship and Coach Gary Molineux presents the Bill Maas Outstanding Lineman Award to senior OT/DE Kevan Strigle.

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Coach Gionta presents the Bob Kening Coaches Award and the Team Most Valuable Player Award to senior QB/DB Kevin Johnson.

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Coach Mike Pettinelli presents the Steve Coyne Special Teams MVP Award in absentia to senior K Adam Fender.

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Contact EyeOfTheTigersBlog.com at jma158@comcast.net.