Introduction to Chinese Astrology
The Lunar calendar has a sixty year cycle. In the Chinese horoscope, the five basic elements of Metal , Water , Wood , Fire and Earth, which make up all matter, are combined with the twelve animal signs of Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig to form the sixty year cycle.
The naming of the twelve years in the Chinese Lunar cycle stems from the myth of Buddha. Before leaving this world, Buddha invited all the animals of the world to a feast. Only twelve animals arrived, in the following order -- The rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. Thus, Buddha decided to name a year after each of them, in the order of their arrival. Each year in this twelve-year cycle now had a symbolic animal, whose characteristics were said to influence the world events, personality and fate of everything and everyone born in that year.
The Chinese calender differs from the Western calendar. The Chinese have adopted the Western calendar since 1911, but the lunar calendar is still used for festive occasions such as the Chinese New Year. The beginning of a Chinese new year changes every year, on dates ranging between late January and late February. If you were born early in the year, you may be interested in looking at the description of the animal of the year before.
To discover what your animal is, look below and click on the symbols to learn more about them...
