Happy Chinese New Year! If you were born in 1969, 1981, 1993, or 2005, your Asian zodiac is the rooster. According to this zodiac, people born in the Year of the Rooster are observant, hardworking, confident, courageous, talented, and honest. Roosters enjoy being in the spotlight, are always popular, and tend to be talkative. They are healthy and enjoy sports, and rarely get sick. Roosters are successful sales people, athletes, teachers, surgeons, and police officers. Famous people born in the Year of the Rooster include Britney Spears, Beyoncé Knowles, Paris Hilton, Eric Clapton, and Yoko Ono.
To celebrate the Year of the Rooster, spend some time looking for the representations of the rooster in our Asian Art galleries. The print on the left depicts Kintarō, a hero in Japanese folklore. A child of superhuman power, legend has it that Kintarō was raised by a witch in the mountains where he gained his strength and bravery. Here he holds the ceremonial war fan of a Sumo wrestling referee as he monitors a match between a rooster and a Tengu, another legendary folk god.