Lunar New Year Google Logo Ushers In The Year Of The Sheep – Or Is It Goat?

Many English speakers question whether the Chinese zodiac sign for "horned animal" translates to sheep, goat or ram.

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Google lunar new year hero

After yesterday’s tribute to Alessandro Volta and the inventor’s first electric battery, Google has marked the Lunar New Year with an animated doodle on its homepage inspired by the Chinese Zodiac’s Year of the Sheep.

Because the Mandarin Chinese character “yang” merely translates to “horned animal” for English speakers, many question whether or not it is the year of the sheep or the year of the goat? (Or, possibly, ram?)

A folklore expert from the Beijing Institute of Culture and History told the New York Times, “Goat and sheep are different in French and English, but what’s that got to do with Chinese traditional culture?” He said the debate was silly.

Either way, this new lunar year represented by the sheep (or goat) will be one of peace, harmony and tranquility according to the Chinese Zodiac calendar, and will bring luck to anyone born during previous years of the sheep.

Here’s the animated logo showing the sheep setting off fireworks that light up the sky with Google’s letters:

Google lunar new year 2015


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Amy Gesenhues
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Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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