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 Chinese year 4702. Actually, most Chinese began using the western or solar calendar in the early 20th century, except on 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 a complete cycle from moon, back 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 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 top (first) position on the Chinese calendar. The gods devised a test in which animals would compete for position by swimming through 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 as if you are marking slices on a cake. 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. C.

Animals used in Chinese astrology are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and wild boar (pig).. People born during their cycle are said to acquire their animal traits:

• Rat– Perfectionist, charming, aggressive, reserved, party-loving, resourceful, stubborn, good at politics and business, can be bad
• Ox– Easy going, quick to anger, great memories, hardworking, family loyalty, creative hands, skillful, responsible, self-confident
• Tiger– Leaders, brave, territorial, possessive, fighters, generous and selfish, magnetic, passionate, work alone, dynamic.
• Rabbit– Sweet, conservative, artistic, tasteful, sentimental, emotional, shy, faithful to partners, romantic, avoids 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, polite, lazy, romantic, insecure.
• Horse– Crowd lover, rebellious, energetic, selfish, self-centered, good with money, cunning, lacks self-confidence.
• Sheep gold goat– Artistic, creative, lazy, disorganized, charming, polite, dreamy, pessimistic, romantic, worried, not good at business.
• monkey– Charming, witty, intelligent, emotional, unscrupulous, loves food but not gluttonous, misleading, funny, lucky
• Rooster– Simple, honest, colorful, loyal, honest, dreamy, psychic, busy, love the bargains, observers.
• Dog– Traditional, loyal, sincere, intelligent, private, critical, serious, anxious, likes solitude, champion causes.
• Pork gold Wild pig– Loving, caring, chivalrous, sincere, honorable, easy to take advantage of, belief in kindness, love of food, romantic, jealous

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