Happy Year of the Wood Sheep!

That's the greeting I used to open my comment on What Progress Means at The Archdruid Report, and Greer responded with a hearty "Pinku-sensei, and gong hay fat choy to you as well."  I count that as an auspicious start to the new Lunar Year.  Even more auspicious is that the Sheep is as close to my family name as any animal in the Chinese Zodiac gets.  I may be born in the year of the Earth Pig, but I like the idea of the Year of the Sheep.

Last year and the years before, I've posted generic Chinese New Years greetings, such as the one Greer used, which is Cantonese.  This year, I present The Year of The Sheep in Chinese Zodiac - 2015, which teaches how to say greetings special for this year.

2015 is the year of the sheep.Do you know what to say to Chinese people during Chinese New Year. Watch the video to learn more. Chinese people like to specify lucky phrases that capture the year of the zodiac.

喜气洋洋 filled with happiness (洋 is the original Chinese character, people change it to the word 羊 just for the year of sheep)
一羊生金 a sheep makes you wealthy
二羊为宝 two sheep brings you treasure
三 羊开泰 full of luck for the year's beginning (阳is the original Chinese character, people change it to the word 羊 just for the year of sheep)

Now for the generic greetings.

Mandarin: Gong Xi Fa Cai/Xin Nian Kuai Le

Cantonese: Kung Hei Fat Choi

Hokkien (Fujian/Taiwanese): Kiong Hee Huat Tsai/Sin Ni khòai lok

Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财 新年快乐

Traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財 新年快樂