Astrology The Chinese Calendar And Horoscopo China travel vacation,tourist information

Most people are interested to find out what sign they are in the Chinese zodiac system , particularly since - like the Western system - each person is supposed to have characteristics similar to those of the sign which relates to their birthdate. True Chinese astrologers, however, eschew the use of the animal symbols in isolation to analyse a person's life, seeing the zodiac signs as mere entertainment. There are twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, corresponding with one of twelve animals, whose characteristics you'll find listed below. These animal signs have existed in Chinese folk tradition since the sixth century BC, though it wasn't until the third century BC that they were incorporated into a formal study of astrology and astronomy, based around the device of the lunar calendar. Quite why animals emerged as the vehicle for Chinese horoscopy is unclear: one story has it that the animals used are the twelve which appeared before the command of Buddha, who named the years in the order in which the animals arrived. Another says that the Jade Emperor held a race to determine the fastest animals. The first twelve to cross a chosen river would be picked to represent the twelve earthly branches which make up the cyclical order of years in the lunar calendar.

Each lunar year (which starts in late January/early February) is represented by one of the twelve animal symbols. Your sign depends on the year you were born, but beyond that the idea is the same: born under the sign of a particular animal, you will have certain characteristics, ideal partners, lucky and unlucky days. To go into your real Chinese astrological self, you need to take your precise date and time of birth along to a Chinese astrologer - in China, you'll find plenty of amateurs plying their trade around city parks. The animals always appear in the same order so that if you know the current year you can always work out which one is to influence the following Chinese New Year.

The Rat

Characteristics : usually generous, intelligent and hard-working, but can be petty and idle; has lots of friends, but few close ones; may be successful, likes challenges and is good at business, but is insecure; generally diplomatic; tends to get into emotional entanglements.

Partners : best suited to Dragon, Monkey and Ox; doesn't get on with Horse and Goat.

Famous Rats : Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, William Shakespeare, Marlon Brando, Leo Tolstoy, and Prince Charles.

The Ox

Characteristics : healthy; obstinate; independent; usually calm and cool, but can get stroppy at times; shy and conservative; likes the outdoors and old-fashioned things; always finishes a task.

Partners : best suited to Snake, Rat or Rooster; doesn't get on with Tiger, Goat or Monkey.

Famous Oxen : Walt Disney, Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Richard Nixon, Vincent Van Gogh, Peter Sellers, Dustin Hoffman, Margaret Thatcher, Jane Fonda.

The Tiger

Characteristics : adventurous; creative and idealistic; confident and enthusiastic; can be diplomatic and practical; fearless and forward, aiming at impossible goals, though a realist with a forceful personality.

Partners : best suited to Horse for marriage; gets on with Dragon, Pig and Dog; avoid Snake, Monkey and Ox.

Famous Tigers : Karl Marx, Queen Elizabeth II, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marilyn Monroe, Ho Chi Minh.

The Rabbit

Characteristics : peace-loving; sociable but quiet; devoted to family and friends; timid but can be good at business; needs reassurance and affection to avoid being upset; can be vain; long-lived.

Partners : best suited to Pig, Dog and Goat; not friendly with Tiger and Rooster.

Famous Rabbits : Fidel Castro, Martin Luther King, Josef Stalin, Queen Victoria and Albert Einstein.

The Dragon

Characteristics : strong, commanding, a leader; popular, athletic; bright, chivalrous and idealistic, though not always consistent; likely to be a believer in equality.

Partners : best suited to Snake, Rat, Monkey, Tiger and Rooster; avoid Dog.

Famous Dragons : Joan of Arc, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Salvador Dali, and Che Guevara.

The Snake

Characteristics : charming, but possessive and selfish; private and secretive; strange sense of humour; mysterious and inquisitive; ruthless; likes the nice things in life; a thoughtful person, but superstitious.

Partners : best suited for marriage to Dragon, Rooster and Ox; avoid Snake, Pig and Tiger.

Famous Snakes : J. F. Kennedy, Mao Zedong, Pablo Picasso, Franz Schubert and Ferdinand Marcos.

The Horse

Characteristics : nice appearance and deft; ambitious and quick-witted; favours bold colours; popular, with a sense of humour, gracious and gentle; can be good at business; fickle and emotional.

Partners : best suited to Tiger, Dog and Goat; doesn't get on with Rabbit and Rat.

Famous Horses : Neil Armstrong, Paul McCartney, Rembrandt and Igor Stravinsky.

The Goat

Characteristics : a charmer and a lucky person who likes money; unpunctual and hesitant; too fond of complaining; interested in the supernatural.

Partners : best suited to Horse, Pig and Rabbit; avoid Ox and Dog.

Famous Goats : Andy Warhol, Mohammed Ali, Michelangelo, and Laurence Olivier.

The Monkey

Characteristics : very intelligent and sharp, an opportunist; daring and confident, but unstable and egoistic; entertaining and very attractive to others; inventive; a sense of humour but with little respect for reputations.

Partners : best suited to Dragon and Rat; doesn't get on with Tiger and Ox.

Famous Monkeys : Leonardo da Vinci, Mick Jagger, Charles Dickens, Julius Caesar, and Paul Gauguin.

The Rooster

Characteristics : frank and reckless, and can be tactless; free with advice; punctual and a hard worker; imaginative to the point of dreaming; likes to be noticed; emotional.

Partners : best suited to Snake, Dragon and Ox; doesn't get on with Pig, Rabbit and Rooster.

Famous Roosters : Prince Philip, Charles Darwin, Elton John, and Michael Caine.

The Dog

Characteristics : alert, watchful and defensive; can be generous and is patient; very responsible and has good organizational skills; spiritual, home-loving and non-materialistic.

Partners : best suited to Rabbit, Pig, Tiger and Horse; avoid Dragon and Goat.

Famous Dogs : Henry Moore, Winston Churchill, Elvis Presley, Sophia Loren and Voltaire.

The Pig

Characteristics : honest; vulnerable and not good at business, but still materialistic and ambitious; outgoing and outspoken, but naive; kind and helpful to the point of being taken advantage of; calm and genial.

Partners : best suited to Dog, Goat, Tiger and Rabbit; avoid Snake and Rooster.

Famous Pigs : Alfred Hitchcock, Ronald Reagan, Woody Allen, Al Capone and Ernest Hemingway.

Calendar chart

Date Of Birth	Animal
1.2.1900 - 18.2.1901	Rat
19.2.1901 - 7.2.1902	Ox
8.2.1902 - 28.1.1903	Tiger
29.1.1903 - 15.2.1904	Rabbit
16.2.1904 - 3.2.1905	Dragon
4.2.1905 - 24.1.1906	Snake
25.1.1906 - 12.2.1907	Horse
13.2.1907 - 1.2.1908	Goat
2.2.1908 - 21.1.1909	Monkey
22.1.1909 - 9.2.1910	Rooster
10.2.1910 - 29.1.1911	Dog
30.1.1911 - 17.2.1912	Pig
18.2.1912 - 5.2.1913	Rat
6.2.1913 - 25.1.1914	Ox
26.1.1914 - 13.2.1915	Tiger
14.2.1915 - 3.2.1916	Rabbit
4.2.1916 - 22.1.1917	Dragon
23.1.1917 - 10.2.1918	Snake
11.2.1918 - 31.1.1919	Horse
1.2.1919 - 19.2.1920	Goat
20.2.1920 - 7.2.1921	Monkey
8.2.1921 - 27.1.1922	Rooster
28.1.1922 - 15.2.1923	Dog
16.2.1923 - 4.2.1924	Pig
5.2.1924 - 23.1.1925	Rat
24.1.1925 - 12.2.1926	Ox
13.2.1926 - 1.2.1927	Tiger
2.2.1927 - 22.1.1928	Rabbit
23.1.1928 - 9.2.1929	Dragon
10.2.1929 - 29.1.1930	Snake
30.1.1930 - 16.2.1931	Horse
17.2.1931 - 5.2.1932	Goat
6.2.1932 - 25.1.1933	Monkey
26.1.1933 - 13.2.1934	Rooster
14.2.1934 - 3.2.1935	Dog
4.2.1935 - 23.1.1936	Pig
24.1.1936 - 10.2.1937	Rat
11.2.1937 - 30.1.1938	Ox
31.1.1938 - 18.2.1939	Tiger
19.2.1939 - 7.2.1940	Rabbit
8.2.1940 - 26.1.1941	Dragon
27.1.1941 - 14.2.1942	Snake
15.2.1942 - 4.2.1943	Horse
5.2.1943 - 24.1.1944	Goat
25.1.1944 - 12.2.1945	Monkey
13.2.1945 - 1.2.1946	Rooster
2.2.1946 - 21.1.1947	Dog
22.1.1947 - 9.2.1948	Pig
10.2.1948 - 28.1.1949	Rat
29.1.1949 - 16.2.1950	Ox
17.2.1950 - 5.2.1951	Tiger
6.2.1951 - 26.1.1952	Rabbit
27.1.1952 - 13.2.1953	Dragon
14.2.1953 - 2.2.1954	Snake
3.2.1954 - 23.1.1955	Horse
26.1.1955 - 11.2.1956	Goat
12.2.1956 - 30.1.1957	Monkey
31.1.1957 - 17.2.1958	Rooster
18.2.1958 - 7.2.1959	Dog
8.2.1959 - 27.1.1960	Pig
28.1.1960 - 14.2.1961	Rat
15.2.1961 - 4.2.1962	Ox
5.2.1962 - 24.1.1963	Tiger
25.1.1963 - 12.2.1964	Rabbit
13.2.1964 - 1.2.1965	Dragon
2.2.1965 - 20.1.1966	Snake
21.1.1966 - 8.2.1967	Horse
9.2.1967 - 29.1.1968	Goat
30.1.1968 - 16.2.1969	Monkey
17.2.1969 - 5.2.1970	Rooster
6.2.1970 - 26.1.1971	Dog
27.1.1971 - 14.2.1972	Pig
15.2.1972 - 2.2.1973	Rat
3.2.1973 - 22.1.1974	Ox
23.1.1974 - 10.2.1975	Tiger
11.2.1975 - 30.1.1976	Rabbit
31.1.1976 - 17.2.1977	Dragon
18.2.1977 - 6.2.1978	Snake
7.2.1978 - 27.1.1979	Horse
28.1.1979 - 15.2.1980	Goat
16.2.1980 - 4.2.1981	Monkey
5.2.1981 - 24.1.1982	Rooster
25.1.1982 - 12.2.1983	Dog
13.2.1983 - 1.2.1984	Pig
2.2.1984 - 19.2.1985	Rat
20.2.1985 - 8.2.1986	Ox
9.2.1986 - 28.1.1987	Tiger
29.1.1987 - 16.2.1988	Rabbit
17.2.1988 - 5.2.1989	Dragon
6.2.1989 - 26.1.1990	Snake
27.1.1990 - 14.2.1991	Horse
15.2.1991 - 3.2.1992	Goat
4.2.1992 - 22.1.1993	Monkey
23.1.1993 - 9.2.1994	Rooster
10.2.1994 - 30.1.1995	Dog
31.1.1995 - 18.2.1996	Pig
19.2.1996 - 6.2.1997	Rat
7.2.1997 - 27.1.1998	Ox
28.1.1998 - 15.2.1999	Tiger
16.2.1999-4.2.2000	Rabbit
5.2.2000-23.1.2001	Dragon
24.1.2001-11.2.2002	Snake