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Chinese
Zodiac Signs
Each
Chinese New Year begins on the day of first
new moon. In the western year 2005,
the new moon began on February 9. It was
the Chinese year 4702. In actuality, most
Chinese began using the western, or solar,
calendar in the early twentieth century,
except on important holidays. Many of the
calendars in China show both the solar dates
of the western calendar and the lunar dates
of the Chinese calendar. Chinese astrology
is based on the twelve cycles of the moon.
The Chinese zodiac consists of twelve
animals, rather than the solar signs
used in the west. In the Chinese calendar
each period lasts for a full cycle of the
moon, from new to full. There are twelve
complete lunar cycles in a Chinese zodiac
year, but one animal symbolizes the entire
year. According to their calendar, the Chinese
complete a cycle every twelve years. So
if you were born in the year of the rat,
you would celebrate your zodiac birthday
every twelve years, and your Chinese zodiac
sign would be the rat. In the west your
astrological sign appears once each year.
The calendar and its animals were created
from an ancient legend. It tells us
that the animals were all fighting about
who was going to be in the prime (first)
position on the Chinese calendar. The gods
devised a test in which the animals would
compete for their position by swimming across
a river. Another version says that the Buddha
requested visits by the animals before he
left earth. He named the moon cycles after
the animals in order of appearance. So the
Chinese zodiac symbol is a circle divided
into twelve equal sections; think of it
as if you were marking off slices of a pie.
There is a picture of the animal representing
that Chinese zodiac sign in each section.
The calendar's use dates clear back to 2600
BC.
The animals used in Chinese astrology
are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake,
horse, sheep (goat), monkey, rooster, dog,
and boar (pig). Persons born during
their cycle are said to take on their animal
traits:
Rat- Perfectionist, charming, aggressive,
secretive, party-loving, quick-witted, stubborn,
good at politics and business, can be mean
Ox- Quiet, quick to anger, excellent
memories, hard-working, family loyalty,
creative, skilful hands, responsible, self-confident
Tiger- Leaders, courageous, territorial,
possessive, fighters, generous and selfish,
magnetic, passionate, works solo, dynamic</li>
<li>Rabbit- Sweet-natured,
conservative, artistic, tasteful, sentimental,
emotional, shy, faithful to partners, romantic,
avoid fighting
Dragon- Regal, leader, centre of
attention, powerful, lucky, aggressive,
dynamic, big ego, snobbish, tyrannical
Snake- Charming, popular, lies easily,
possessive, hates rejection, deep thinker,
well-mannered, lazy, romantic, insecure
Horse- Crowd lover, rebellious, energetic,
selfish, self-centered, good with money,
cunning, lacks self-confidence
Sheep or goat- Artistic, creative,
lazy, disorganized, charming, well-mannered,
dreamy, pessimistic, romantic, worrier,
not good in business
Monkey- Charming, witty, clever,
emotional, unscrupulous, love food but not
gluttons, deceptive, funny, lucky
Rooster- Straight-forward, honest,
flashy dresser, loyal, honest, dreamer,
psychic, busy, loves a bargain, observers
Dog- Traditional, loyal, sincere,
intelligent, private, judgmental, serious,
anxious, likes solitude, champions causes
Pig or boar- Loving, caring,
chivalrous, sincere, honourable, easy to
take advantage of, belief in goodness, love
food, romantic, jealous
As you can see the Chinese calendar with
its Chinese zodiac symbols is most interesting
indeed. If you look up your Chinese zodiac
sign, you will enjoy the time learning more
about yourself.
About
the Author
Bo
Guo is the owner of Char4U.com:
Chinese Symbol Gift Store and OrientaLabels.com:
Oriental Designs & Collectibles. Please
include an active link to our sites when
reprinting this article.
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