What is the Chinese Zodiac?
Known as Sheng Xiao in China, the zodiac consists of the
12 animal signs designated to the 12 earthly branches in China,
including Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey,
Rooster, Dog and Pig. Each of the animal signs is related to the Chinese
lunar calendar, based on a twelve-year cycle. Last year was the Year of
the Pig, beginning from February 5th 2019 (Chinese New Year) and
running to January 25th 2020; this year, it is the Year of the Rat.
What is the origins of the Chinese Zodiac?
The first mention of the zodiac can be found in the Book of Odes. At one point, the poem in Shijing Xiaoya Jiri
says: "Auspicious Geng Wu is a good day for horse hunting". This was
the first juxtaposition of the Wu character and the Horse. The method of
counting years using the Chinese zodiac originated during the time of
the Southern and Northern dynasties (240-589 AD). Yu Wenhu in
his biography discussing the Northern dynasty's history, records a
letter from his mother saying: "I gave birth to your two brothers in
Wuchuan Town. The zodiac of your eldest brother is Rat and the other
brother, Rabbit. Yours is Snake". So, the zodiac was already used to
mark the years at that time. To this day, there is no clear evidence as
to the origins of the Chinese zodiac. It has, however, continued to be
valued and used as a mascot of Chinese New Year and a symbol of festive
celebrations.
Why is the Cat not listed among the 12 Animal Signs?
Where is the cat? There are many folk stories about this topic. The
practical reason, however, is that there were no cats in ancient China.
Cats originated in ancient Egypt, and the Chinese zodiac existed before
they were brought to China. In addition, tigers and cats are part of
the same biological family, so actually a member of the cat family still
has a place in the Chinese zodiac. All of this helps to show that the
selection of animal signs was not arbitrary. On the contrary, everything
had a reason; though there were different ways of looking at the
choice.
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This was the basics of information about The Chinese Zodiac. I have
had an interest for this topic for quite some time so I decided to do
some research once I found out about this unique zodiac. And, ofcourse,
I've already looked up my own Sign, and it was actually pretty true! Why
not search up for yourself to see which one belong to you?
It can tell very much about yourself, your personality, your future,
etc.! Even if you do not believe in any of this, it can be fun to just
look up. It was fun for me!
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