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The symbols that make up the Chinese Zodiac calendar are images of various animals. The Chinese have been using this 12 year cycle for dating the years since ancient times. Unlike the western linear idea of time the Chinese lunar calendar represents a cyclical concept of time.

The western calendar is governed by the sun and is called solar calendar while Chinese calendar being based on cycles of moon is called lunar calendar. When the New Year is calculated the Chinese calendar is quite different from that of the west where they have New Year starting around the end of January and beginning of February.

By’11 China had accepted western solar calendar but followed the lunar calendar to mark their festivals and other traditional occasions. For instance Chinese still follow lunar calendar to mark the coming of New Year. Therefore to make things simple most Chinese calendars have both lunar and solar dates.

The Chinese followed the idea of accepted folk custom of representing every year physically with some animal. A particular animal will represent a particular year. Thus twelve years show twelve different animals with their own characteristics. As the calendar is cyclic the same animals keep coming back once in every twelve years.

Even though it was a yearly representation the animals concerned had similar connotation as that of the western monthly or daily horoscope. The difference lied in the yearly representation. According to Chinese Zodiac theory people born in a particular year will have qualities of that particular animal representing the year.

The Chinese zodiac symbols have another important meaning apart from the qualities of the individual that they depict which at times may not be taken seriously.

The other role which the Chinese calendar performs is to show the age of a person. By knowing the animal sign of an individual you can calculate the age applying basic math and common sense.

As the Chinese legend goes once there was a struggle amongst twelve animals to enforce some control over the cycle of years. Finally it was decided that there would be a race of the animals in which the animal to reach the opposite bank of the river would lead and the rest would follow as they finish. Thus the practice of representing each year with one animal sign came into being.

In the race the Ox took the lead and the rat rode on the Ox’s back. As the Ox nearly reached the opposite bank, the rat being sly jumped off the Ox’s back on the bank and got the first position. So the rat leads the cycle of year till today with the ox being the second. The last is the pig to depict the last month.

Chinese zodiac symbols are not the same as those utilized in western astrology. To read further on Chinese symbol meanings please click on the links.

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