Background
The Asian Zodiac origins are based on the lunar year cycle and are shared by the Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other Southeast Asian cultures worldwide. Like the Western Zodiac, the Asian Zodiac origins is based in part on the idea that people born in the same time period tend to share certain personality traits. While, the Western Zodiac assigns astrological signs based on the month in which a person was born, the Asian Zodiac assigns astrological signs based on the year in which a person was born. In the Asian Zodiac, each year has a corresponding animal sign that repeats in twelve-year cycles. The lunar year typically begins in late January or early February each year. In 2007, February 18 will mark the beginning of the Year of the Pig/Boar.
Why are the animals in the Asian Zodiac in that order?
Various folktales explain why the zodiac signs, or animals, are arranged in the order they appear. One version is below:
“Once upon a time, the Emperor called all the animals to him in a great race. The Emperor said he would name a year for the first twelve animals to reach him, in the order in which they arrived.
Early on the day of the race, the cat and rat (who were best friends at the time) decided to ask the ox to carry them across the wide river to the Emperor. The ox agreed to help them. Just after the three animals entered the river, however, the scheming rat pushed the cat into the water. The ox and rat crossed the river safely, but just as they reached the shore, the rat hopped off the ox and rushed ahead to be the first animal to reach the Emperor. The ox, then, was the second animal to reach the Emperor.
Meanwhile, the cat struggled to swim across the river. One by one, ten other animals reached the Emperor and had years named after them.
Finally, the tired, wet cat managed to cross the river and reach the Emperor…but it was too late. The Emperor had already named all twelve years for the animals who arrived before the cat. The cat was very disappointed and utterly furious at her friend, the rat, for betraying her. Because of this, cats and rats remain enemies to this day.”
What is your or your baby’s sign?
Find your or your baby’s birth year and sign in the chart below. For those looking for great lunar gifts, check out our Zodiac Gift Collection!
rat — 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020
ox — 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021
tiger — 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022
rabbit — 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023
dragon — 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024
snake — 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013
horse — 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014
ram/goat — 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015
monkey — 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016
rooster — 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1891 1993 2005 2017
dog — 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018
pig/boar — 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019
