How does the Chinese Horoscope work? Find out what animal you are
The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in Asian cultures. Each year a new animal represents the year ahead and those born during it.
The world over celebrates with much festivity the coming of a New Year on 31 December. However, even more important for cultures in East and Southeast Asia, as well as their diaspora spread around the globe, is the Lunar New Year.
The date is determined, as the name suggests, by the lunar calendar with the holiday falling on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice on 21 December. The date of the Lunar New Year can fall anywhere from late January to late February.
How does the Chinese Horoscope work? Find out what animal you are
Each year a different animal from the Chinese zodiac, or shengxiao, symbolizes the year ahead as well as those who are born during the year. The Chinese zodiac is comprised of 12 animals and each sign embodies different qualities and reveals insights about the future. They include the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig respectively in order.
According to the Chinese embassy, “legend has it that a god beckoned all animals to bid him farewell before his departure from Earth.” However, only 12 of them showed up and the order of the Chinese zodiac is determined by when they arrived. In the case of the rat, using his quick wits, he caught a ride on the ox promising to sing for him along the way. At the last moment the rat slid off and crossed the finish line first, thus becoming the first on the shengxiao.
Apparently, there is no cat due to a broken promise. The rat, who at the time was on good terms with the feline, was supposed to wake up his friend to go to the ceremony. However, in his excitement he forgot about his promise and so the cat overslept and was late for the party. The earthbound cousins of the rodent have been paying for the betrayal ever since.
How do I know what my sign is in the Chinese Horoscope?
To determine your sign in the Chinese zodiac, you simply need to consider your year of birth, as this dictates the animal assigned to you. However, there is a caveat as the Lunar New Year does not begin on the 1st of the year, but floats between 21 January and 20 February. In order to look up which sign corresponds to you, here is a calendar of Chinese new years going back to 1930.
Here is a breakdown of the Chinese zodiac signs and their corresponding years:
- Rat: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 and 2020
- Ox: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 and 2021
- Tiger: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 and 2022
- Rabbit: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 and 2023
- Dragon: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 and 2024
- Serpent: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2025
- Horse: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 and 2026
- Goat: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 and 2027
- Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 and 2028
- Rooster: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 and 2029
- Dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 and 2030
- Pig: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2031
The year of the Dragon
Certain signs are lucky than others in any given lunar year and also some signs are considered to have more desirable attributes. That is the case of the Dragon, which is the zodiac sign for 2024, with its qualities of leadership, confidence, adventure, honor and intelligence.
In recent times there have been a considerable spike in birth rates during the Year of the Dragon. This is thought to be families planning so that their child will be born during the Year of the dragon and thus attain the positive qualities associated with the mythical creature.