By Margaret, age 12. Reporting from Boston, Massachusetts. Chinese New Year occurs every year on a different date. In 2001, Chinese New Year falls on January 24.
Every year is represented by an animal.
Last year was my animal, the dragon. 2001 is the year of the snake. The circle that shows the twelve different animals is called the Chinese Zodiac. The different animals of the Chinese Zodiac are the dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, boar, rat, ox, tiger, and hare. In twelve years the calendar starts over.