The Chinese calendar year differs significantly from the standard western calendar. Most listings of the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals associate each animal with a calendar year from the western calendar. As an example, many listings list the western year 2010 as the year of the Tiger and 2011 as the year of the Rabbit. This is not entirely correct.
The Twelve Earthly Branches
The animals in the Chinese zodiac are referred to as the Twelve Earthly Branches. Much like the western calendar with twelve zodiac symbols, one for each month, so too the Chinese zodiac but the Chinese animal represents an entire Chinese calendar year. While western culture refers to it as the Chinese calendar, it is actually used in several countries in Asia. The animals may differ between countries but the generally accepted animals and their order are:
- Rat
- Ox
- Tiger
- Rabbit (In Vietnamese culture the cat is used here)
- Dragon
- Snake
- Horse
- Sheep
- Monkey
- Rooster
- Dog
- Pig
Method for Determining the Date for the Chinese New Year
In the Chinese calendar year, the new year begins on the date of the second full moon after winter solstice. Therefore the Chinese New Year may occur anywhere between January 21 and February 19. Looking at the abbreviated tables presented by many Chinese zodiac charts, a person born on January 7, 2010 might grow up thinking they were born in the year of the tiger. But the year of the tiger didn’t officially begin until February 14, 2010. They were really born during the year of the ox.
The Ten Heavenly Stems
In the west it is believed there are four elements: earth, wind, water, and fire. In Chinese culture there are five elements and each element has two aspects—yang and yin. The five elements are:
- Metal
- Water
- Wood
- Fire
- Earth
Along with the zodiac animal, each year is also associated with one aspect of one of the elements. So someone born between January 28, 1960 and February 14, 1961 was born in the year of the metal (yang aspect) rat. A person born between February 15, 1961 and February 4, 1962 was born in the year of the metal (yin aspect) ox. The next year would be the year of the water (yang aspect) tiger and so on. It takes sixty years to complete a full cycle of every animal with every element. When this occurs it is called the sexagenary cycle.
There are many tables listing start and ending dates for the Chinese calendar. But perhaps the quickest method for determining the correct zodiac animal can be found in Chinese zodiac sign calculator found at Chinese Zodiac a Guide to Chinese Astrology. For determining not only the animal but the element and its aspect the site to visit would be NationMaster. Click on the link titled “Relation to Western Calendar.” This contains starting and ending dates for the Chinese calendar from 1900 to 2019. Both of these sites have more information concerning the characteristics of the animals, elements and their aspects.
Because of the staggered beginning and ending dates of the Chinese new year, between five and fifteen percent of people are mistaken about their animal symbol in the Chinese zodiac. Using the above tables will assure the correct identification.
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