"![]() The Chinese Horoscope depicts the Chinese characters for the 12 different signs of the Chinese Zodiac, and has been used for thousands of years. The astrological charts of the Chinese Horoscope and Zodiac are not only used for predicting auspicious dates for starting major projects, but on an individual basis, are used for helping one to understand their own personality and how well they will match up with others. You can see more photos and find more information about the 12 years of the Chinese Zodiac if you click on the photo of the Chinese New Year Greeting Cards at left.
The Chinese Horoscope is based on the Lunar Calendar, where each month is about 29 days long. (The lunar calendar starts at one new moon and ends when the moon is completely dark. The solar calendar, on the other hand, is based on the earth making one revolution around the sun.) According to one legend, the Chinese Lunar Calendar dates back to 2637 B.C.E. One fable has it that the Buddha summoned all animals to come to him before he entered Nirvana. Only twelve of the animals came, so he honored them each with a year. According to Chinese myth, the animal ruling the year in which you were born has a profound influence on your life. It is known as being, ""The animal that hides in your heart."" Hence for your Chinese Horoscope, you will need to know your yearly animal.
Another legend has it that there was a terrible monster that tormented the villagers in China many thousands of years ago. Fortunately, the monster, known as ""Nian,"" lived in a cave most of the year, venturing out for only the first 15 days of the new year. So on New Year's Eve, the families would stay indoors and prepare a large feast for the following days. Something that has carried on throughout the ages. There is a busy schedule that is usually followed to on the fifteen days of Chinese New Year. It is a little long to list here, but you can see it if you go to this other Web site: Chinese New Year Schedule
Now fortunately for us, Nian wasn't an omnipotent beast, and it was discovered that his version of Kryptonie was the color red. Also, he got spooked by loud noises, so Chinese New Year is celebrated with firecrackers and putting red peppers on your door. (In fact, a string of red firecrackers looks kind of similar to a string of dangling red peppers - but you would want to try to eat either one!)
You might hear that the Chinese Horoscope has a 60 year cycle. That is because Chinese astrology multiplies the 12 Animals by the Chinese traditional Five Elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth. So, say for the first Year of the Dragon would be the Metal Dragon, 12 years later would be the Water Dragon, another 12 years would be the Wood Dragon, and so on until the cycle is complete. It is kind of a lot to remember, so you might want to look at this below:
RAT
1900 January 31 - 1901 February 18: Metal
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