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 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 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. Beside the tricks that rat played in the great race story of the Chinese zodiac, there are other legends about its priority in those animals. In Chinese mythology about the origin of world, the universe was in dark without form like an egg before the earth and heaven was separated. It was the rat that bit a crack and let the air in. 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. According to the Chinese zodiac signs, each year in the lunar cycle is associated with a particular animal. This is a 12-year cycle that repeats itself. This is a 12-year cycle that repeats itself. What are the animals of the zodiac? Each year honors an animal based on the Chinese zodiac. The circle of 12 animals — the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig — measure the cycles of time. From snake-themed events to whether your luck is in: discover all you need to know about the coming Lunar New Year in our Year of the Snake 2025 series. There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the oldest traditional festival in China, but a few people concern the origin and story behind the holiday. Many existing customs and activities of the festival actually can be traced back to a popular story of the Monster Nian, which helps to explain why and how the festival is celebrated. Chinese zodiac, annual classification system in Chinese culture following the Chinese lunar calendar yingyang li (literally, “heaven-earth”) in which each year in a 12-year cycle is assigned an animal and each animal is associated with a personality that typifies the year and those born during that year. The cycle changes to a new animal 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. The Chinese system is based on the lunar calendar and assigns an animal to each year within a 12-year cycle. It is said that people born each year receive some of that year’s animal’s reputed attributes. The Significance of the Zodiac Animals in Chinese New Year The Significance of the Zodiac Animals in Chinese New Year I. Introduction to Chinese Zodiac The Chinese zodiac is a classification system based on a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a specific animal. This fascinating system not only serves as a means of [] 1. Introduction to the Year of the Snake. The Chinese Zodiac, a twelve-year cycle where each year is represented by an animal, holds significant cultural importance in Chinese society. Each animal embodies unique traits and characteristics that influence the personality and fortunes of those born in its year. In the Chinese calendar, each year is depicted by one of twelve animals in a repeating cycle known as the Chinese zodiac. Each animal is believed to influence the personality traits, characteristics, and destiny of individuals born in that year. Chinese Calendar Years and Animals. Below is a handy graph to show you which of the Chinese year That’s not the only positive representation of the slippery animal. One of China’s great legends centres around a snake. “The Legend of the White Snake is a popular ancient Chinese story about loyal love and has been performed in many operas, films, dances, New Year paintings and shadow plays,” Ji adds. In this StigglyPop Story, the myth of the Chinese Zodiac is told to us by the one animal who could have been in it - the cat! Happy Chinese New Year! Xīnnián 2025 marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake. Photo by Serpantine from the 2024 WildChina herpetological expedition. The legend of the white snake. One of the most beloved serpent stories in Chinese culture is Bai She Chuan Shuo (the legend of the white snake), where the snake spirit, Bai Suzhen, longs to experience human life. Transformed It is for the same reason that Easter also falls on a different date each year. The story, myth and legend of the 12 animals of the Chinese New Year calendar originates from an ancient Chinese poem telling the story of 12 mythical animals which descended from the heavens to help people celebrate the coming of spring and a new crop. 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.
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