Chinese zodiac signs

Every Chinese New Year begins on the day of the first new moon.. In the western year 2005, the new moon began on February 9. It was the Chinese year 4702. Actually, most Chinese started using the Western or Solar calendar in the early 20th century, except for major 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., instead of the sun signs used in the west. In the Chinese calendar, each period lasts for one full moon cycle, from new to full. There are twelve full lunar cycles in a Chinese zodiac year, but one animal symbolizes the full 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 a year.

The calendar and its animals were created from an ancient legend. It tells us that all the animals were fighting over who was going to be in the main (first) position on the Chinese calendar. The gods devised a test in which the animals would compete for their place by swimming across a river. Another version says that the Buddha requested the visit of the animals before leaving the earth. He named the lunar cycles after the animals in order of appearance. So, the Chinese zodiac symbol is a circle divided into twelve equal sections; Think of it like you’re scoring slices of a pie. There is an image of the animal that represents that Chinese zodiac sign in each section. The use of the calendar clearly dates back to 2600 BC.

The animals used in Chinese astrology are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and boar (pig).. People born during its cycle are said to take on their animal traits:

• Rat– Perfectionist, charming, aggressive, reserved, party animal, witty, stubborn, good at politics and business, can be petty.
• ox– Calm, quick to anger, excellent memory, hardworking, faithful to the family, creative, skillful hands, responsible, self-confident.
• tiger– Leaders, brave, territorial, possessive, feisty, generous and selfish, magnetic, passionate, solo works, dynamic
• Rabbit– Sweet, conservative, artistic, tasteful, sentimental, emotional, shy, faithful to a partner, romantic, avoid fights.
• Continue– Regal, leader, center 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– Loving the crowd, rebellious, energetic, selfish, self-centered, good with money, cunning, lacking in self-confidence.
• sheep gold goat– Artistic, creative, lazy, disorganized, charming, well-mannered, dreamy, pessimistic, romantic, worried, not good at business.
• bun– Charming, witty, intelligent, emotional, unscrupulous, love food but not gluttonous, deceitful, funny, lucky.
• hen house– Direct, honest, flashy dresser, loyal, honest, dreamy, psychic, busy, loves bargains, observers
• dog– Traditional, loyal, sincere, intelligent, private, critical, serious, anxious, likes solitude, defends causes.
• Pig gold Wild pig– Affectionate, affectionate, chivalrous, sincere, honorable, easy to take advantage of, belief in goodness, love of food, romantic, jealous

As you can see, the Chinese calendar with its Chinese zodiac symbols is really very interesting. If you search for your Chinese zodiac sign, you will enjoy the time learning more about yourself.