Chinese Years, Chinese Signs

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Chinese years refer to Chinese lunar years. There are two common ways in the world in term of making sense of time. One of which is cyclical, like the Chinese lunar calendar. It's based on the cycles of the moon. Another one is a linear perception of time, the western way, with time proceeding in a straight line from the past to the present and the future.

Since 1911, both the western calendar and Chinese lunar calendar have been in use by the Chinese. However, traditional festivals such as the Chinese New Year, the Mid-autumn Festival, are calculated with the Tran ional lunar calendar. That can explain why the Chinese New Year is also called Chinese Lunar New Year, and its date is not fixed if you want make a mark on your western calendar. It differs from year to year.

Actually that brought quite some time-blurring experience to me since I lived in the U.S. and didn't have a Chinese lunar calendar in my house. My relatives sent their blessings to me and my family here during some of the traditional holidays, and I was still caught in the American schedule. My eyes popped out and I said: What?! It's xxxx day already?

They forgave me. I was in a linear timeline when the cyclical time is on the other side the Pacific Ocean.

But not really. The cyclical time actually has been here on this side of the Pacific Ocean for decades in the form of one of the biggest, if not the biggest, annual celebrations of San Francisco, California, the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade. You might be one of the numerous people who have some experience of it. Or if you pay some attention to the date of the celebration parade, you might notice that the date is "odd", because it's way past the 1st of January, the New Year's Day. It can be as late as in late February.

The Twelve Animal Signs

The fun parts of Chinese lunar years are not only those beautiful and meaningful traditional celebrations, but also in the Twelve Animal Signs, the Chinese Zodiac, a popular folk method that records years with these 12 animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar.

It forms 12 years with each animal as one cycle; every twelve years the same animal name or "sign" would reappear.

Much like monthly horoscopes in the West have been developed for the different moon signs, such Pisces, Aries, etc., Chinese horoscopes also have developed around the animal signs as an amusing cultural sideline and are not regarded seriously.

People normally can get an idea about how old your are without asking your age when they know your animal sign.

Legend--Why the Rat Heads the Twelve In Chinese Years

Have you ever wondered why the Rat gets the first position in the Twelve Animal Signs?

According to the legend of Chinese Years, it all started from a quarrel. When the twelve animals were chosen to represent the cyclical Chinese Years, they started arguing about who was to head the cycle of years.

They sought out the gods to decide their order. The gods suggested they have a contest to see who would be the first to arrive the opposite river bank. The arriving order would be the order of the years they represent.

They all agreed and the contest began.

All the twelve animals jumped into the water and swam towards the other side of the river bank. The ox was the fastest. But during the excitement, the rat had formed a strategy and jumped upon the ox's back without his knowing. As soon as the ox was about to jump upon the shore, the rat jumped off the ox's back, and won the race. The pig, or the boar, which was very lazy and didn't care about the order that much, ended up last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second and the pig last.

And you might get a glimpse of why the rat is noted as very ambitious and successful according to the Chinese zodiac. People who are born in boar years work hard to achieve their goals and acquire possessions. They are also very likely to be perfectionists, and are charming as well as attractive for the opposite sex.

What is your Animal Year? Here is the the Chinese zodiac chart:

Rat	2008	1996	1984	1972	1960	1948	1936	1924	1912	1900
Ox	2009	1997	1985	1973	1961	1949	1937	1925	1913	1901
Tiger	2010	1998	1986	1974	1962	1950	1938	1926	1914	1902
Rabbit	2011	1999	1987	1975	1963	1951	1939	1927	1915	1903
Dragon	2012	2000	1988	1976	1964	1952	1940	1928	1916	1904
Snake	2013	2001	1989	1977	1965	1953	1941	1929	1917	1905
Horse	2014	2002	1990	1978	1966	1954	1942	1930	1918	1906
Goat	2015	2003	1991	1979	1967	1955	1943	1931	1919	1907
Monkey	2016	2004	1992	1980	1968	1956	1944	1932	1920	1908
Rooster	2017	2005	1993	1981	1969	1957	1945	1933	1921	1909
Dog	2018	2006	1994	1982	1970	1958	1946	1934	1922	1910
Pig	2019	2007	1995	1983	1971	1959	1947	1935	1923	1911

If you were born in JANUARY or FEBRUARY, your birthday is special. Here is the special chart for you to find your zodiac animal. After you find it, come back to this page to have fun with your animal.

Birth Year	Date of Birth	Animal
2010	2-14-2010 to 2-2-2011	Tiger
2009	1-26-2009 to 2-13-2010	Ox
2008	2-7-2008 to 1-25-2009	Rat
2007	2-18-2007 to 2-6-2008	Pig
2006	2-17-2006 to 2-17-2007	Dog
2005	2-9-2005 to 2-16-2006	Rooster
2004	1-22-2004 to 2-8-2005	Monkey
2003	2-1-2003 to 1-21-2004	Sheep
2002	2-12-2002 to 1-31-2003	Horse
2001	1-24-2001 to 2-11-2002	Snake
2000	2-5-2000 to 1-23-2001	Dragon
1999	2-16-1999 to 2-4-2000	Rabbit
1998	1-28-1998 to 2-15-1999	Tiger
1997	2-7-1997 to 1-27-1998	Ox
1996	2-19-1996 to 2-6-1997	Rat
1995	1-31-1995 to 2-18-1996	Pig
1994	2-10-1994 to 1-30-1995	Dog
1993	1-23-1993 to 2-9-1994	Rooster
1992	2-4-1992 to 1-22-1993	Monkey
1991	2-15-1991 to 2-3-1992	Sheep
1990	1-27-1990 to 2-14-1991	Horse
1989	2-6-1989 to 1-26-1990	Snake
1988	2-17-1988 to 2-5-1989	Dragon
1987	1-29-1987 to 2-16-1988	Rabbit
1986	2-9-1986 to 1-28-1987	Tiger
1985	2-20-1985 to 2-8-1986	Ox
1984	2-2-1984 to 2-19-1985	Rat
1983	2-13-1983 to 2-1-1984	Pig
1982	1-25-1982 to 2-12-1984	Dog
1981	2-5-1981 to 1-24-1982	Rooster
1980	2-16-1980 to 2-4-1981	Monkey
1979	1-28-1979 to 2-15-1980	Sheep
1978	2-7-1978 to 1-27-1979	Horse
1977	2-18-1977 to 2-6-1978	Snake
1976	1-31-1976 to 2-17-1977	Dragon
1975	2-11-1975 to 1-30-1976	Rabbit
1974	1-23-1974 to 2-10-1975	Tiger
1973	2-3-1973 to 1-22-1974	Ox
1972	2-15-1972 to 2-2-1973	Rat
1971	1-27-1971 to 2-14-1972	Pig
1970	2-6-1970 to 1-26-1971	Dog
1969	2-17-1969 to 2-5-1970	Rooster
1968	1-30-1968 to 2-16-1969	Monkey
1967	1-9-1967 to 1-29-1968	Sheep
1966	1-21-1966 to 2-8-1967	Horse
1965	2-2-1965 to 1-20-1966	Snake
1964	2-13-1964 to 2-1-1965	Dragon
1963	1-25-1963 to 2-12-1964	Rabbit
1962	2-5-1962 to 1-24-1963	Tiger
1961	2-15-1961 to 2-4-1962	Ox
1960	1-28-1960 to 2-14-1961	Rat
1959	2-8-1959 to 1-27-1960	Pig
1958	2-18-1958 to 2-7-1959	Dog
1957	1-31-1957 to 2-17-1958	Rooster
1956	2-12-1956 to 1-30-1957	Monkey
1955	1-24-1955 to 2-11-1956	Sheep
1954	2-3-1954 to 1-23-1955	Horse
1953	2-14-1953 to 2-2-1954	Snake
1952	1-27-1952 to 2-13-1953	Dragon
1951	2-6-1951 to 1-26-1952	Rabbit
1950	2-17-1950 to 2-5-1951	Tiger
1949	1-29-1949 to 2-16-1950	Ox
1948	2-10-1948 to 1-28-1949	Rat
1947	1-22-1947 to 2-9-1948	Pig
1946	2-2-1946 to 1-21-1947	Dog
1945	2-13-1945 to 2-1-1946	Rooster
1944	1-25-1944 to 2-12-1945	Monkey
1943	2-5-1943 to 1-24-1944	Sheep
1942	2-15-1942 to 2-4-1943	Horse
1941	1-27-1941 to 2-14-1942	Snake
1940	2-8-1940 to 1-26-1941	Dragon
1939	2-19-1939 to 2-7-1940	Rabbit
1938	1-31-1938 to 2-18-1939	Tiger
1937	2-11-1937 to 1-30-1938	Ox
1936	1-24-1936 to 2-10-1937	Rat
1935	2-4-1935 to 1-23-1936	Pig
1934	2-14-1934 to 2-3-1935	Dog
1933	1-26-1933 to 2-13-1934	Rooster
1932	2-6-1932 to 1-25-1933	Monkey
1931	2-17-1931 to 2-5-1932	Sheep
1930	1-30-1930 to 2-16-1931	Horse
1929	2-10-1929 to 1-29-1930	Snake
1928	1-23-1928 to 2-9-1929	Dragon
1927	2-2-1927 to 1-22-1928	Rabbit
1926	2-13-1926 to 2-1-1927	Tiger
1925	1-24-1925 to 2-12-1926	Ox
1924	2-5-1924 to 1-23-1925	Rat
1923	1-16-1923 to 2-4-1924	Pig
1922	1-28-1922 to 1-15-1923	Dog
1921	2-8-1921 to 1-27-1922	Rooster
1920	2-20-1920 to 2-7-1921	Monkey
1919	2-1-1919 to 2-19-1920	Sheep
1918	2-11-1918 to 1-31-1919	Horse
1917	1-23-1912 to 2-10-1918	Snake
1916	2-4-1916 to 1-22-1917	Dragon
1915	2-14-1915 to 2-3-1916	Rabbit
1914	1-26-1914 to 2-13-1915	Tiger
1913	2-6-1913 to 1-25-1914	Ox
1912	2-18-1912 to 2-5-1913	Rat
1911	1-30-1911 to 2-17-1912	Pig
1910	2-10-1910 to 1-29-1911	Dog
1909	1-22-1909 to 2-9-1910	Rooster
1908	2-2-1908 to 1-21-1909	Monkey
1907	2-13-1907 to 2-1-1908	Sheep
1906	1-25-1906 to 2-12-1907	Horse
1905	2-4-1905 to 1-24-1905	Snake
1904	2-16-1904 to 2-3-1905	Dragon
1903	1-29-1903 to 2-15-1904	Rabbit
1902	2-8-1902 to 1-28-1903	Tiger
1901	2-6-1901 to 2-7-1902	Ox
1900	2-18-1912 to 2-5-1913	Rat