Chinese horoscope

The ancient Chinese astronomers assigned each of the five main planets one of the five Chinese elements: to Venus, the metal (iron - gold); to Jupiter, the wood; to Mercury, water - air; to Mars, fire, and to Saturn, earth. According to Chinese astrology, the position of these planets, along with the position of the Sun, Moon and any comets in the sky in addition to the date of birth and the zodiac sign can determine a person's destiny.

A complex system for calculating destiny based on birthday time and date of birth (known as 紫微斗數 zǐwēidǒushù) is still regularly used in Chinese astrology today for fortune telling. The twenty-eight Chinese constellations (宿 xìu) are totally different from the eighty-eight Western constellations. For example, the Big Dipper is known as 斗 dǒu and Orion's belt as 參 shen. The seven northern constellations are called xúanwǔ (玄武). Xuan Wu is also known as the spirit of the northern sky, and in Taoist belief, as the spirit of water.

The Chinese horoscope is, after the Western one, the most widespread and followed. In ancient China, the use of the titles of the emperors and the ganzhi celestial system was applied to enumerate the years, thus in the year 2937 BC. The first Chinese lunar calendar was developed, according to which each sign consists of 60 years - the time of the reign of the Yellow Emperor -, distributed into five cycles of twelve years each. It was from the Eastern Han dynasty (25-220), when the Chinese began to use the twelve animal signs in order - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig – and, like the signs of the Western zodiac, which are also twelve – Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces –, they in some way mark the personality of each of us.

These signs, inspired by the phases of the lunar calendar, have existed in Chinese tradition since the 6th century BC, although it was not until the 3rd century BC. when they were incorporated into the formal study of astrology and astronomy..

According to a legend, Buddha summoned all the animals on Earth to his presence, however, only twelve appeared before him. The first to do so was the rat, since when it was perched on the back of an ox, as soon as it saw Buddha, it jumped and ran towards him.

Another Chinese legend says that it was the Jade King who organized a race to determine which were the fastest animals. The first twelve who managed to cross a designated river were chosen to represent the twelve terrestrial branches into which the cyclical order of the lunar calendar is divided.

Another very popular legend says that the rat was given the task of inviting animals to appear at the Jade Emperor's banquet to be selected as signs of the zodiac. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat made him believe that the banquet would be the next day. When the cat realized the rat's deception, it became his natural enemy for the next generations. "

There is an astrological story that tells that Buddha went to meditate, in the last days of his life, in a jungle, to be in contact with nature and where he managed to defeat Mara, a demon who tried to defeat him with all his faith. tempt him from achieving enlightenment. He called twelve animals which were, according to the order of his arrival: 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. He gave each one a year, which together equal 12 years, unlike the Western zodiac which is twelve months. The zodiac within Western culture is based on the movement of the sun, while the Chinese one is based on the rotation of the moon.

The rat represents, therefore, the first year and the others have the characteristics of the rest of the animals that arrived after it. Logically, the ox was the second, the pig being the last.

1. Rat (1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008) Those born under the sign of the Rat are wise people who like to surround themselves with family and friends, whom they help with their daily chores and problems . Good workers, savers and good administrators of their economy.
2. Ox (1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009) Buffaloes or oxen are patient and calm animals, which radiate a lot of affection and love and command respect. Great workers, they feel comfortable surrounded by order and cleanliness and achieve success thanks to their efforts. For them the most important thing is family, although they are jealous of their partner. They love art and music. They do not like to argue, although they do obey him.
3. Tiger (1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) People of this sign are very passionate and full of energy. They do not go unnoticed, they are adventurous, independent, resourceful, impulsive and they like fun. They are friends for life, although they like to be the leader of the group. In the world of relationships, they appear to be the strongest, sexiest and most seductive, although with excessive behavior.
4. Rabbit (1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011) Those born in the Year of the Rabbit have extraordinary human qualities: they are prudent, intelligent, affable, discreet, farsighted, attentive and benevolent. Therefore, the sign of the rabbit is widely accepted by people. Of a moderate and indulgent nature, a lover of peace and harmony, the rabbit hates war and violence. He likes a quiet life, tenderness and harmony.
5. Dragon (1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012) Symbol of the Emperor in China, the dragon is imaginative, magnanimous, enterprising, lucky and powerful. He is full of strength and vitality. He is a real energy hoarder and if you anger him, he will become so angry that he will lose his temper. It will be difficult to calm him down, because he doesn't believe in anyone or anyone. They usually give good advice and are lucky in both money and love. They are very sentimental and fall madly in love.
6. Snake (1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013) Snake people are cunning, they know what they want and how to get it. His conversation is elegant and fluid. They are intense and cautious at the same time. They are jealous and possessive of their family but loyal. They like to pamper their friends and expect a reciprocal attitude from them. If they feel slighted or fail in their attempts, they can be angry for hours, although they are good at staying calm and appearing calm in difficult situations.
7. Horse (1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014) Popular, optimistic, full of joy, adventurous, eloquent, impatient, enterprising, enthusiastic about life, great lovers and friends. His great passion is money and travel. They like to meet new people, different cultures, speak languages and they are the life of the parties. Their physical attractiveness and beauty make it easy for them to find love: a trap they inevitably fall into.
8. Goat (1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015) The goat is creative, artistic, positive, elegant, feminine, affable, compassionate, crying, sensitive, dreamy, proud and sad. They do not pursue material wealth and prefer to live off their daydreams. They love family, children, home and being in contact with nature. They are very hardworking, although they do not like the pressure of a deadline or a boss.
9. Monkey (1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016) An animal most similar to a human being, it is ingenious, fun, friendly, with a quick and alert mind, buyer, persuasive, sociable, capable of solving any problem no matter how difficult it is with ease. His love relationships and relationships with friends are usually conflictive, as he cannot stand not being valued. They enjoy good health, although their excesses in partying, alcohol and drugs could take their toll.
10. Gallo (1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017) Attractive and seductive, talented and appreciated. They are meticulous, efficient, orderly, good conversationalists, observant, selfish, usurers, pragmatic and very familiar. In love they are romantic, stubborn and fight for control of their partner. They usually stand out as public relations or as artists. They don't pay much attention to their health.
11. Dog (1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018) The dog is a being dedicated to work, honest, reliable, diligent, with a great sense of justice and loyalty. He captivates everyone with his exciting personality, his good humor and his great ability to listen to other people's problems and give good advice. In love they are faithful and loyal, although very jealous when his partner is not at home. Nerves are his biggest health problem.
12. Pig (1947, 1959, 1971, 1983 1995, 2007, 2019) It is a sincere, honest, trusting, educated, affectionate, helpful, brave, determined animal, with great willpower, without great pretensions or vanity, with Feet on the ground. They are very pleasant and have impeccable taste and manners. In love they are sensual, passionate and patient, but up to a point. They are very hard-working, although the lack of attraction to sports and apathy will cause their physique to suffer and they will gain excess weight.

Secret animals

In the Chinese zodiac each sign corresponds to a "great hour" or shichen (時辰), which is a period of two hours (24 divided among 12 animals). Depending on the shichen in which they are born, each person is assigned a secret animal, as shown below. The periods are ordered according to solar time:

• 23:00 - 00:59: The rat.
• 01:00 - 02:59: The ox.
• 03:00 - 04:59: The tiger.
• 05:00 - 06:59: The rabbit.
• 07:00 - 08:59: The dragon.
• 09:00 - 10:59: The snake.
• 11:00 - 12:59: The horse
• 13:00 - 14:59: The goat.
• 15:00 - 16:59: The monkey.
• 17:00 - 18:59: The rooster.
• 19:00 - 20:59: The dog.
• 21:00 - 22:59: The pig.

In addition to the animal, the Chinese horoscope has another element to take into account, and never better said. The element that corresponds to you also depends on your year of birth, being divided as follows:

• Metal: if your birth year ends in 0 or 1.
• Water: if your year of birth ends in 2 or 3.
• Wood: if your year of birth ends in 4 or 5.
• Fire: if your year of birth ends in 6 or 7.
• Earth: if your birth year ends in 8 or 9.

The Chinese zodiac is also used in other cultures very different from China.

The Korean zodiac is essentially identical to the Chinese zodiac, but the Sino-Korean word 양 (yang) typically refers specifically to a sheep in the Korean language (where a native Korean word 염소 yeomso is used to mean "Goat") , although in the Chinese source of the yang loan it can refer to any antelope.

The Japanese zodiac includes the sheep (hitsuji) instead of the goat (which would be yagi) and the wild boar (inoshishi) instead of the pig (buta). Since 1873, the Japanese have celebrated the beginning of the new year on January 1 according to the Gregorian calendar.

The Vietnamese zodiac varies from the Chinese zodiac with the second animal being the water buffalo instead of the ox, and the fourth animal being the cat instead of the rabbit. It is believed that this is because the Vietnamese word for cat (Meo), sounds similar to the Chinese word for rabbit (Mao). Cats were not introduced to China until much later in history so it is unlikely that the cat was part of the original zodiac although later explanations for its absence seek to explain this retroactively.

The Cambodian zodiac is exactly identical to that of the Chinese, although the dragon is interchangeable with the Cambodian sea serpent Neak (nāga). Sheep and goats are interchangeable too. Unlike China, Cambodians start their new year in April and not at the beginning of the year. That is why the Cambodian New Year is celebrated in April and not in January like most countries.

The zodiac of the Cham people uses the same order as the Chinese zodiac, but replaces the monkey with the turtle (known locally as kra). Similarly, the Malay zodiac is identical to the Chinese one, but replaces the rabbit with the fawn (pelanduk) and the pig with the turtle (kura). The Dragon is usually equated with the nāga, but is sometimes called the Great Serpent (ular besar) while the sign of the Serpent is called the Second Serpent (ular sani).

The Thai zodiac includes a nāga in place of the Dragon and begins, not on the Chinese New Year, but on the first day of the fifth month in the Thai lunar calendar, or during the Songkran New Year festival (now celebrated every 13 -April 15), depending on the purpose of use.

The Nepalese zodiac includes a cow instead of an ox, a cat instead of a rabbit, an eagle instead of a dragon, a bird instead of a rooster, and a deer instead of a pig.

The ancient Mongolian calendar uses the mouse, ox, leopard, hare, crocodile, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig.

The Volga Bulgarians, Khazars and other Turkic peoples replaced some animals with local fauna: leopard (instead of tiger), fish (instead of dragon), crocodile (also instead of dragon), hedgehog (instead monkey), elephant (instead of pig) and camel (instead of rat). On the other hand, the European Huns used the complete Chinese zodiac, including the dragon and the pig. This Chinese-Turkish zodiac was in use in Balkan Bulgaria until the adoption of the Slavic languages and Orthodox Christianity.

In Persia the Chinese word lóng (dragon) was translated into Persian nahang which usually means "sea serpent" but can refer to real large aquatic animals. Since the 20th century it means "whale" so the Persian Zodiac uses the whale instead of the dragon.