Chinese Zodiac

CHINESE ZODIAC

The Chinese Zodiac is similar to western astrology except there are 12 animals with each animal representing an entire year instead of 12 symbols where each symbol represents a month. Both appear to be based on the lunar calendar although there is some speculation that the Chinese Zodiac may be based on the twelve year orbit of Jupiter. Each of the 12 animals(rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig) represents certain characteristics or behaviors that can be attributed to those born in the year of that particular animal. There are also 5 cycles representing the elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water and their influences so that a particular year might represent a wood rooster or a water monkey for example. Combining the elements with the animals makes the Chinese Zodiac a sixty year cycle. We are currently in the 78th cycle which began in 1984 and ends in 2044.

The origins of the Chinese Zodiac are unclear but it is believed to have been around since 2037 B.C. Some believe that Buddha summoned all of the animals before he left the earth and assigned the first twelve based on the order in which they arrived. Others believed the animals were summoned by the emperor to compete in a race or attend a banquet. One variation has the rat arriving first because it hitched a ride on the back of the ox and then hopped off just ahead of the ox on arrival to the event. The snake supposedly rode across the river on the hoof of the horse and then spooked the horse on the other side so it would arrive first. While many of the animals used trickery to get to their destination, the dragon is said to have been very honorable. Although he could have chosen to fly and arrive first, he instead chose to help people in need along the way and arrived later than others. In recent times, there have been more births in the dragon years of 1988 and 2000 than other years.

Many people see the Chinese Zodiac as a way to determine a person's age without asking when they were born. With a twelve year span before repeating, it would be easy to guess someone's age just by knowing what animal they are.

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