Stardate Online has a daily celestial observation for you to enjoy. The Full Moon names and other astronomical information comes from their superb Stardate almanac. (Get your own for $4.00.)

Q.  What's my sign according to the Oriental Zodiac?

A.  Find your year of birth in the list below:

Ne-Rat:  1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996

Ushi-Cow: 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997

Tora-Tiger: 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998

U-Rabbit: 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

Tatsu-Dragon: 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000

Mi-Snake: 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001

Uma-Horse: 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002

Hitsuji-Sheep: 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

Saru-Monkey: 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004

Tori-Rooster: 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005

Inu-Dog: 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006

I-Boar-1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 2007

JANUARY 2001

"Why are those Gummi Bears smaller?" THIS MONTH: The Ice Hotel opens for business for 12 weeks, Duchesnay Ecotourism Station, Quebec Canal Cam starts with the pictures of the skaters on Ottawa's Rideau Canal Truffle season continues through March Look our for the 16th new state quarter featuring Tennessee The Euro goes into circulation in 12 Eurozone countries. Confusion ensues. 1/1/2002 - The Euro goes ito general circulation in the Eurozone. 300 million people in 12 countries will start using money they have never seen before. Follow the hilarity at Eurotrash. "EUROTRASH is devoted to chronicling this historic leap and the ensuing chaos. We don't care about macroeconomic theory. We just want to know if the Coke machines are still going to work." 1/1/2002 - New Year's Day: the first day of a Palindrome Year. Mr. Owl ate my metal worm! Oh, no! Don Ho! 1/1/2002 - Kwanzaa ends 1/2/2002 - New Year Holiday (Scotland) 1/2/2002 - Earth is at perihelion of its orbit, closest to the Sun this year. 1/2-3/2002 - Quadrantids meteor showers (lousy viewing - gibbous moon will overpower most of the meteors) 1/6/2002 - Epiphany 1/10-20/2002 - Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah 1/21/2002 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day observed (US). Free from slavery like this. 1/28/2002 - Full moon, also called Cold Moon, Moon After Yule. Also called Snow Thaws Moon by the Ponca tribe.

FEBRUARY 2001

In Chaucer's Parliament of Foules we read: For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate. THIS MONTH: Truffle season continues through March 2/1-3/2002 - Weekend 1 of 3 - Winterlude, Ottawa and Carnaval, Quebec City. While in Quebec, you can stay at the Ice Hotel, but why on earth would you want to? (pictured, left: Ice Church. Pray for warmth.) 2/2/2002 - Groundhog day. 2/8-10/2002 - Weekend 2 of 3 - Winterlude, Ottawa and Carnaval, Quebec City, featuring a night parade, ice sculpture competition, and roll in the snow. We think we can top Paris with The Second Sanctioned Get Lost Magazine Dumb-Ass trip: The Frozen North Wretched Excess Tour, skidding from Quebec to Ottawa on ice. 2/8/2002 - Winter Olympics opening ceremonies, Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah. Got $885? Go see it in person. Got $8.85? Have a beer and watch it on big screen teevee at your favorite bar. We bet they won't be nearly as good as the 1992 Albertville Olympics with the French snowdome girls, gigantic stick puppets and choreography by this guy (Philippe Decouflé) 2/12/2002 - Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse 2/13/2002 - Ash Wednesday 2/14/2002 - Valentine's Day. From the Catholic Encyclopedia: The popular customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day undoubtedly had their origin in a conventional belief generally received in England and France during the Middle Ages, that on 14 February, i.e. half way through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair. 2/15-17/2002 - Weekend 3 of 3 - Winterlude, Ottawa and Carnaval, Quebec City. Check out Absolut's Ice Bar drinks, like this Bilberry concoction (left) served in an ice block. Then go somewhere warm. These people are nuts. 2/18/2002 - Presidents Day (US) 2/24/2002 - Winter Olympics closing ceremonies, Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah. Got $885? Go see it in person. Got $8.85? Have a beer and watch it on big screen teevee at your favorite bar. We vote for the bar. 2/25/2002 - Hotel rates return to normal in Salt Lake City, Utah. 2/25/2002 - Erev Purim 2/26/2002 - Purim, Jewish Feast Day 2/27/2002 - Shushan Purim 2/27/2002 - Full moon, also known as the Snow Moon. The Algonquin call it the Ice in River is Gone Moon.

MARCH 2001

THIS MONTH: Truffle season continues through March Avalanche season in Western Washington's Cascade Mountains coincides with an irrational need to drive through Snoqualmie Pass for hamburgers at the historical Brick tavern in Roslyn, Washington. Falcon Research Group resumes its observation of the nesting Peregrine falcons on Seattle's Washington Mutual Tower. Look our for the 17th new state quarter featuring Ohio 3/1 - Get Lost Magazine foods editor Martha Strom's birthday. 3/4 - The only day in the year that states a command. March forth. 3/14/2002 - Islamic year 1423 begins at sunset. 3/14/2002 - Get Lost Editor Leslie Strom's birthday, which she prefers to think of as four dozen. 3/17/2002 - St. Patrick's Day. 3/17 - The ferry Kalakala was towed in 1999 from the Seattle waterfront to Lake Union. 3/20/2002 - First day of Spring! Printemps! First day of Autum for the Southern Hemisphere. The equinox occurs at 1:16 PM CST. The sun rises due east and sets due west. According to the Farmer's Almanac, the vernal, or spring, equinox refers to the point at which the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator from south to north, signaling the beginning of nature's renewal in the Northern Hemisphere. 3/24/2002 - Palm Sunday 3/27/2002 - Erev Pesach - First Seder 3/28/2002 - Full moon, also known as Crow Moon or Sap Moon. The Kiowa people call it the Bud Moon. 3/28/2002 - Passover begins, sundown. (Second Seder) 3/29/2002 - Good Friday 3/31/2002 - Easter Sunday. Exactly how do they figure out when Easter Sunday falls every year? The date of Easter is computed according to the rules established as part of the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582. The Gregorian calendar is the one now used worldwide for civil purposes. Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter Sunday. For an Easter calculator (and believe me, you'll need one), click here.

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Euro info every traveler needs to know