Offbeat | Monkey Year inspires kung fu, predictions of fire, disease

The new Chinese year is the one to go bananas over. Today the zodiac calendar enters the Year of the Monkey — the ninth of 12 animal signs. Plastic monkeys are adorning shopping centers and office buildings, and government departments have been giving out toy monkeys.
Having a baby in the Year of the Monkey is generally thought to be more auspicious than in that of its predecessor, the sheep, and the cute creature is in any case largely beloved by the masses for its playful and human-like characteristics, despite a penchant for stealing food.
The new lunar year is already boosting a fighting style that imitates the movements of a monkey. It also offers an excuse to cash in on China’s most famous monkey — Sun Wukong, or the Monkey King — a fabled demon-slayer.
Less happily, feng shui predictions foresee fire, disease and volatile stocks. AP