Chinese New Year 10-year cycle of heavenly stems. Each of the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occurred in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart. Many people inaccurately calculate their Chinese birth-year by converting it from their Gregorian
Chinese New Year Pakistan, the Chinese New Year is also celebrated among the sizable Chinese expatriate community that lives in the country. During the festival, the Chinese embassy in Islamabad arranges various cultural events in which Pakistani arts and cultural organizations and members of the civil society also participate. The Chinese New Year is often accompanied by loud, enthusiastic greetings, often referred to as 吉祥話 ("jíxiánghuà") in Mandarin or 吉利說話 (Kat Lei Seut Wa) in Cantonese, loosely translated as "auspicious words or phrases". New Year couplets printed in gold letters on bright red paper, referred to as "chunlian" (春聯) or "fai chun" (揮春),