Capricornians and Aquarians, Do You Know Your True Chinese Zodiac Animal?
It might not be what you think it is

Whenever the Lunar New Year rolls around, online sites tend to push out yearly predictions for the twelve Chinese zodiac animals to attract viewers.
But sometimes brevity in writing ends up sacrificing important nuances.
Take this recent CNN article which contains this statement:
Your zodiac animal is determined by your year of birth, meaning those born in 2024 will fall under the Dragon sign.
Well, yes and no.
This sweeping statement holds true for most people but not for some Capricornians and Aquarians.
The missing nuance was this: You are supposed to refer to the lunar calendar to determine your Chinese zodiac animal, not the Gregorian calendar.
Every lunar new year begins on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February and the start date varies from year to year.
I’ll break it down for Capricornians and Aquarians who want to know about their Chinese zodiac animal:
December Capricornians
That sweeping statement applies to you.
Your birth year will always correlate to the zodiac animal associated with your birth year.
January Capricornians
That sweeping statement doesn’t apply to you.
Your Chinese zodiac animal is always the animal associated with the year before your birth year because your birthday is before the Lunar New Year for your birth year.
Both January and February Aquarians
That sweeping statement may or may not apply to you. You need to check when the Lunar New Year started in your birth year.
If your birthday is before the Lunar New Year, then your Chinese zodiac animal is the animal associated with the year before your birth year.
If your birthday falls on or after the Lunar New Year, then your Chinese zodiac animal is the animal associated with your birth year.
Hope this was short, sweet, and valuable!