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The Wonders of the Zodiac
A subject that never fails to
peak the interest of Chinese people is the Chinese Zodiac. As the chronological
record of the Chinese Lunar New Year, it is the longest chronological record in
history. Although the Chinese have adopted the Western calendar in 1911, the
lunar calendar is still frequently used for birthdays and festive occasions,
such as the Chinese New Year. Many Chinese calendars are published with both
solar and Chinese lunar dates.
Origin: A 12-Year Circle
The actual date
of the origin of Chinese astrology is not known. According to legend, the Yellow
Emperor introduced the first cycle of the zodiac in 2,600BC to record the
Chinese Lunar New Year. Ancient Chinese people invented the 10 heavenly stems
and 12 earthly branches for chronological purposes. By combining one stem and
one branch, the stems and branches are used to indicate a specific hour, date
and year according to the Chinese traditional system. The 12 branches match the
number of months in a year and hours in a day. With each of the stems and branches
combining once sequentially, a complete cycle takes 60 years. Consequently,
almost everyone can experience the exact same year again only once in a
lifetime.
The theory of 10
heavenly stems and 12 earthly branches represents a cyclical concept of time
rather than the Western linear concept of time. In the West, time was recorded
from the birth of Jesus Christ; the year 1977, for example, means 1,977 years
after the birth of Christ. This represents a linear perception of time, where
time proceeds in a straight line from the past, present and future. In ancient
China, dating methods were cyclical, where something is repeated time after time
according to a pattern. A popular folk technique that reflects this cyclical
method of recording time is the Twelve Animal Signs where every year of birth is
assigned an animal. Every 12 years the same animal reappears; the 60-year circle
is made up of five 12-year cycles.
Like the Western
calendar, the Chinese Lunar Calendar is an annual one. The Chinese zodiac
consists of a 12-year circle, each divided into 12 months. However, since most
primitive people were illiterate, 12 animals were designated to symbolize the
12-year cycle, or 12 earthly branches, for example. The lucky animals are the
rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and
pig successively.
How did the Animals come to represent the
Zodiac?
But how did the
12 animals come to represent the 12 earthly branches? There are different
explanations. According to one myth, on the Chinese New Year Buddha convened the
animal kingdom to determine how to restore order in the world; however, only 12
animals showed up. Thus the 12 animals came to represent the Chinese zodiac
cycle, each presiding over one year. The order of the 12 signs was determined by
Buddha at the celebration based on the chronology of the animals’ arrival to the
meeting: the first was the rat, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon,
snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig successively.
Based on this
order of arrival, Buddha gave each animal a year of its own, bestowing the
nature and characteristics of each animal on people born on the corresponding
year.
According to
another legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day over who would be the head
of the cycle. So the gods decided to hold a contest: whoever reached the
opposite bank of the river first would be the leader and the rest would follow
in turn. All the animals gathered at the riverbank and jumped in. Unbeknownst to
the ox, the rat jumped on his back. As the ox was about to climb ashore, the rat
jumped off its back and won the race. The lazy pig finished last. The rat,
therefore, is the first animal in the cycle; the ox is second; and the pig,
last.
It is also said
that Buddha promised to designate the first 12 animals as the signs of a year in
order of appearance at the convention. One night before the event the cat and
his pal the rat agreed that the first to wake the following morning would wake
the other. However, the rat broke his promise and arrived at the meeting first.
The ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig
followed respectively. When the cat finally awoke and hurried to the meeting
place, it was all over. According to legend, this is why cats prey on
rats.
Zodiac Culture
Horoscopes
have developed around the animal signs just like monthly horoscopes in the West
were developed for the different moon signs -- Pisces, Aries, etc. For example,
a Chinese horoscope may predict that a person born in the Year of the Horse
is "cheerful, popular and quick to compliment others". The year of a person's
birth is considered the primary factor in determining a person’s personality,
physical and mental attributes, ability and level of success and happiness
throughout his or her lifetime. Events and occurrences in a given year are
influenced by the nature of that year's animal.
Animal signs
also have a useful social function for determining someone’s age. Instead of
asking directly how old a person is, the Chinese often ask about his or her
animal sign, which places a person within a cycle of 12 years. This is a popular
way to socialize.
Animal |
Year |
Characteristics |
Rat
|
1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020,
2032. 2044 |
charming, ambitious,
overly critical, power-hungry, honest, generous, quick-tempered and
thrifty; gets along with dragons and monkeys but not horses |
Ox |
1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985,
1997, 2009, 2021, 2033, 2045 |
unyielding, upright,
inspiring, easy-going, reliable and dependable; gets along with snakes and roosters but not
sheep. |
Tiger |
1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986,
1998, 2010, 2022, 2034, 2046 |
sensitive, aggressive,
charming, emotional, courageous; gets along with horses and dogs but never
a monkey |
Rabbit |
1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987,
1999, 2011, 2023, 2036, 2047 |
affectionate, talented,
good-tempered, conscientious, successful in business,
cautious, clear-sighted; gets along with sheep and pigs but not
roosters |
Dragon |
1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988,
2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048 |
intelligent, bossy,
energetic, flamboyant, determined, lucky, a leader; gets along with
snakes and roosters but not
sheep |
Snake |
1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989,
2001, 2013, 2015, 2037, 2049
|
intelligent,
passionate, determined, romantic, careful, refined; gets
along with roosters and oxen
but not pigs |
Horse |
1918, 1930, 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990,
2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050 |
hardworking,
intelligent, talkative, popular, impatient; gets along with tigers and dogs but not
rats |
Sheep |
1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991,
2003, 2015, 2027, 2039, 2051
|
creative, artistic, passionate, timid, fastidious,
indecisive; gets along with
rabbits and pigs but not oxen |
Monkey |
1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992,
2004, 2016, 2028, 2040, 2052
|
inventive, witty, popular,
good-humored, versatile; gets along with dragons and rats but not tigers |
Rooster |
1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993,
2005, 2017, 2029, 2041, 2053 |
aggressive, talented, alert, hardworking, shrewd; gets along with snakes and oxen but not
rabbits |
Dog |
1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994,
2006, 2018, 2030, 2042, 2054 |
honest, intelligent,
generous, stubborn, loyal and faithful; gets along with tigers and horses but not
dragons |
Pig |
1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995,
2007, 2019, 2020, 2031, 2043 |
honest, reliable,
sincere, tolerant, shy, productive, kind, and short tempered; gets along with
sheep and rabbits |
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