The Chinese Zodiac Story and How It Came Into Existence

Chinese Zodiac calendar is different from the rest of the world. In most of the countries, the English calendar is followed, even in India. However, in Hinduism, a new year starts with the Deepavali festival, and one year is considered from Deepavali to Deepavali. The same way a Chinese Zodiac calendar starts from mid of January to February, based on the Moon’s rotation, and ends around the same time next year. This way, every new year happens to be on a different date. According to Chinese Mythology, which is either in oral form or recorded in Chinese literature, the calendar was said to be created by one of the ministers of Emperor Huang Ti named Tao Nao. The Chinese Zodiac Calendar is being followed since 4000 B.C. It follows 12 temperaments in 12 animals. The Chinese Zodiac animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. These mythological animals are said to influence the native’s temperament, characteristics, and behaviour. Each animal represents a year, and after 12 years, the cycle restarts with the first Zodiac animal. These Zodiac animals are associated with five elements Wood, earth, water, metal, and fire. Thus, each year has to have a Zodiac Animal and an element that is said to be a fixed element of the Zodiac animal. For example, the Year 2020 was the year of Rat, and Rat’s fixed element is water, so 2020 was a year of Water Rat.