Trump may be in trouble this year, according to the Chinese Zodiac

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Trump may be in trouble this year, according to the Chinese Zodiac

Chinese new year traditions

Bobby Yip/Reuters

A man dressed as the Chinese God of Fortune poses in front of a shopping mall decoration as part of a sales promotion celebrating the upcoming Lunar Year of the Rat January 23, 2008.

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  • US President Donald Trump, along with other people born in the Year of the Dog, may have less luck this year.
  • Experts say a popular belief in Chinese culture is that people are often less lucky when they are in the same Zodiac year as when they were born.
  • Despite Chinese superstition, those born in Year of the Dog can try to avoid an ominous forecast by using the color red.


US President Donald Trump, along with others born in the Year of the Dog, may be facing a difficult 12 months.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, begins Friday February 16, and will mark the start of the Year of the Dog.

But a popular belief in Chinese culture is that people are often less lucky when they are in the same Zodiac year as when they were born, according to Labao Wang, director of the Australia-China Institute for Arts and Culture at Western Sydney University.

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"Say, I was born in the Year of the Dog. And we're going to in the Year of the Dog again. The superstition says I might not be very lucky in the coming year," Wang told Business Insider.

The Chinese Zodiac is split into a dozen animals so the Year of the Dog occurs every 12 years. In the Gregorian calendar those years are, generally, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, and 2018.

Trump was born on June 14, 1946. Several former presidents, including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, were also born in 1946, and may likely see their luck dip as well.

Wang said the idea of having 12 animals in the Zodiac began at at a time when Chinese felt a need to create a system to keep track of people's ages. Originally the cycle was 60 years, but the idea of a mini-cycles of 12 years was later added.

Red may bring better luck in the New Year

Chinese new year traditions

China Daily China Daily Information Corp - CDIC

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Despite Chinese superstition, those born in the Year of the Dog can take steps to avoid an ominous forecast.

According to Wang, the color red is seen as an "upward climbing movement" and so red items can help bring about good fortune.

"Our business goes up, our livelihood goes up, our marriage goes up, like the flames of a fire," he said.

Wang added that many people put up red couplets, or scrolls, on their doors at New Year's time, and its also the same reason that envelopes of money, called hongbao or lai see, are red.

Many people will also ensure they wear red items in the New Year.

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"A red vest, red socks, a red belt or red pants. In fact, anything red will work."

"Or so we believe," he added.