This is the year of the Tiger. I was born in the year of the Rooster. To discover your year, use the Chinese Zodiac Sign Calculator. Just feed in your date of birth.
Chinese Zodiac - the twelve animals
China’s ancient calendar is based on a twelve-year lunar cycle. At one time, the Chinese calendar was confusing and complex. Buddhists have been given credit for simplifying it by replacing a complex system of numerical symbols with the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac.
There are several Chinese calendars, which are still in use today. Each has its own purpose. Farmers in rural China use one. There’s even a Chinese gender calendar to help conceive a boy or girl.
In addition to the lunar, numerical, astronomical, gender and agricultural calendars, each day also has a name from one of twenty-eight constellations, with a ruling spirit for the day.
In charting the sky, the Chinese divided the heavens into 28 constellations located along the Equator and the ecliptic, each named after a star in the vicinity.
Learn about adding honor in one lunar leap
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Lloyd Lofthouse is the author of the award winning novels My Splendid Concubine and Our Hart. He also Blogs at The Soulful Veteran and Crazy Normal.
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