Year of the Sheep won't be baaa-d, fortune tellers say

The Year of the Horse brought catastrophic international air accidents, brutal terror attacks, global political upheaval, a resurgent Ebola virus and war -- and, in Hong Kong, large-scale civil unrest.

But fortune tellers in the southern Chinese city are heralding a more docile Year of the Sheep -- though volatility is still in the air, with warnings of more woes for the global property markets, and an "explosion of bacteria" leading to new and resurgent diseases.

The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and through Chinese folklore ascribes 12 animals -- one for each year in the rotating cycle.

The sheep, in the eighth position, is "comparatively tame, meaning that if there is any challenge everyone can come together to solve it", Hong Kong based feng shui expert Cheng Chi-tai told AFP.

"But because of the animal's character, it is not strong enough to suppress the instability from last year," Cheng said, adding that there is no difference between the sheep and the goat in the Chinese translation.

Chinese fortune-telling, including feng shui, is based on ancient philosophy and the belief that events are dictated by balancing the five elements that make up the universe: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.

Feng shui -- literally meaning "wind-water" -- is influential in many parts of Asia, where people adjust their lives, homes and offices based on its rules to maximise their luck and wealth.

"This year will definitely be calmer in terms of disasters or accidents," feng shui expert Thierry Chow told AFP. The 27-year-old is a second generation master who studied the practice under her father, renowned expert Chow Hon-ming.

"The reason last year was so explosive was because the fire element was quite dominant," Chow said.