The story is widespread (and widely varying) among Chinese. Though it is made up, it might be interesting for you to tell your children and friends. The Heavenly Gate Race Story - Reasons for Zodiac Rankings. Long, long ago, there was no Chinese zodiac. The Jade Emperor wanted to select 12 animals to be his guards. He sent an immortal being Chinese New Year and the Zodiacs. Each of these zodiac animals governs a whole year, which starts at Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar. This usually corresponds to January or February in the western calendar. When the current year has the same zodiac animal as the year you were born, you are said to be in Ben Ming Nian. At last, the ox and rat arrived first. The ox was happy thinking that he would be the first sign of the years, but the rat had already slid in front, and became the first lucky animal of the Chinese zodiac. That's how did the rat win the race. Then what is the 12 animals of Chinese zodiac in order? The Chinese zodiac includes 12 animal signs, in order they are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, marks the transition from one animal to the next—2024 is the year of the Dragon, which began on February 10th, 2024, and ends on February 24th, 2024. It all began with the Jade Emperor (a representation of China’s “first god”) who decreed that the years of the calendar would be named for each animal. The order of the animals would be decided by the order in which the chosen animals won a race to reach him. To do this they had to cross a great river. Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. It starts from Chinese New Year. The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years. (This is especially useful for Every person is represented by the animal of their year of birth, as the graphic here shows. The year follows the Chinese lunar calendar. The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year signifies the end of one year, and the start of the next. 2025 – Year of the Snake. 2026 – Year of the Horse. 2027 – Year of the Goat. Chinese Zodiacs The legend then explains the order in which each of the 12 animals won the race and what their journey involved. The Chinese New Year for 2025 , which begins on January 29, marks the start of the The Great Zodiac Animals Race. Long ago, the Jude Emperor (ruler of heaven) would like to measure time by twelve different animals. He told animals that he would hold a great race on his birthday, the prize was twelve positions on the Chinese zodiac calendar. The one who arrives at the Heaven Gate first will be named for the first zodiac year. In the order of occurrence on the Chinese Animal Zodiac, there was a cunning rat, a hardworking ox, a restless tiger, a fortunate rabbit, a fiery dragon, a secretive snake, an obstinate horse, a cautious goat, a vain monkey, a brave rooster, a loyal dog, and a reliable pig. The Great Race placed importance not on the winner, but on the order in The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, features 12 animal signs in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to Chinese zodiac, starting from the 2025 Chinese New Year on Jan. 29th and lasting to 2026 Lunar New Year's Eve on Feb. 16. 2026 is the Year of the Horse. Use these Chinese New Year animals to teach children about the story behind the tradition. There's a cut-out for each animal, an explanation of the story, an image of the zodiac and more. You could use these in your teaching to bring the story to life and engage your children. Chinese New Year: Guess the Animal of the Chinese Zodiac PowerPoint Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the Chinese calendar year, and each year is named after an animal. This tale of the Chinese zodiac is an animal story based on the great race. Add it to your collection of short bedtime stories for kids. Everything you need to know about the Chinese zodiac calendar and its new year traditions.Playlists:Shorts - We celebrate the Lunar New Year by saying goodbye to the Year of the Dragon and ushering in the Year of the Snake, the 6th zodiac animal in the twelve-year lunar calendar. Have you ever wondered what the twelve animals are and how their place in the order was determined? One of the most popular stories about this is c The Order of the Chinese New Year Animals. There are many interesting myths relating to the 12 zodiac and where they came from, my favourite being the race between the animals, which gives us the order of the zodiac. This is the story of the Chinese Zodiac 生肖 (shēng xiào) and how the order came to be. Every Chinese zodiac year from 1900–2031, full table and broken down by each zodiac. Find your year, animal, dates and element (metal, water, wood, fire, earth). A look into the Chinese Zodiac and its significance in the Lunar New Year, and in life. The Lunar New Year, which this year falls on February 1, marks the beginning of a new yearly cycle presided over by one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. In 2022, we usher in the Year of the Tiger. Here’s a look at how the Chinese zodiac came to be The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the Chinese calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. [1] The zodiac is very important in traditional Chinese culture and exists as a reflection of Chinese philosophy and culture . [ 2 ] The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals that signify each year, tracing their origins to a race set by the Jade Emperor. Each animal embodies distinct traits and is linked to five elements
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