The Asian Zodiac
Rae Schwarz
BellaOnline's Pagan Editor
Humans associate with totem animals in many ways. One variation on having a patron animal is found in the twelve animals of the Asian zodiac. The overall pattern and history of the Asian zodiac is drawn from the Chinese.
According to legend, thousands of years ago Buddha called all the animals to a meeting telling them he would make the first twelve animals arriving associated with a year, creating the signs of the Asian Zodiac. On the night before the meeting, Cat talked with his friend, Rat, and they agreed that whoever woke up first the next morning must wake up the other so that they could go together. However, Rat failed to keep his promise and went to the meeting alone. Then, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig arrived. They became the twelve signs of the Asian Zodiac. When Cat woke up and hurried there, the meeting was over. This gave birth to the legend of why cats kill rats.
The Asian zodiac follows a lunar calendar, so the date of Chinese New Year, when the year changes over, can vary by several weeks from year to year. It is from this date forward that each animal corresponds appropriately, so if your birthday is in January or February, be sure to check specifically to find out which ruling animal your birth year truly fell under.
| Chinese year | Animal | New Year’s |
| 4704 | Dog | January 29, 2006 |
| 4705 | Pig | February 18, 2007 |
| 4706 | Rat | February 7, 2008 |
| 4707 | Ox | January 26, 2009 |
| 4708 | Tiger | February 10, 2010 |
| 4709 | Rabbit | February 3, 2011 |
| 4710 | Dragon | January 23, 2012 |
| 4711 | Snake | February 10, 2013 |
| 4712 | Horse | January 31, 2014 |
| 4713 | Ram | February 19, 2015 |
| 4714 | Monkey | February 9, 2016 |
| 4715 | Rooster | January 28, 2017 |
Listed below are the animals and corresponding years for the Asian Zodiac. . Variations across cultures have been noted, and you may find a better match for yourself with one of these variations.
Rat - Born in 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008...
Ox - Born in 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009...
Tiger - Born in 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010...
Rabbit - Born in 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011...
Sometimes also listed as a Hare. In the Vietnamese zodiac, this animal is replaced with the Cat.
Dragon - Born in 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012...
Snake - Born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013...
Horse - Born in 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014...
Sheep - Born in 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015...
Sometimes also listed as a Ram or Goat.
Monkey - Born in 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028...
Rooster - Born in 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017...
Dog - Born in 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018...
Pig - Born in 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019...
This is a wild boar in the Japanese Zodiac.
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