chineseastrologyThe Chinese have been credited with several great inventions and one of such inventions is Chinese astrology. Legend has it that before departing from earth, Lord Buddha asked all animals from the forest to come to him. However, out of several, only twelve turned up to bid him goodbye, and as a prize he named a year after each one in the sequence they arrived. It’s believed that the animal governing the year in which an individual is born has a deep influence on his/her personality.

The twelve animals symbolize the rotating twelve-year cycle which is the foundation of Chinese Astrology.

Although the main players in Chinese astrology are the twelve animals, it is the mixture of yin and yang, birth time and date, combinations of animals, and the five elements which help establish and determine a particular person’s outer and inner self, his compatibility, and bad or good fortune. Remember, to understand the Chinese astrology, it’s also essential to understand the link between the five elements.

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Boar/Pig