Chinese New Year and Zodiac
The Eastern zodiac sign horoscope system is one of the oldest in the world of astrology. The origin of Chinese astrology dates back to the era of Shang Dynasty. It was the beginning of Sexagenary Cycle, which is of sixty years. As per the oriental zodiac system, the entire set up consists of two basic cycles. One includes 10 heavenly stems, which has been made from yin and yang energies. Another is 12 year cycle of animals, which we know as the Chinese zodiac. Thus, every year has a different zodiac and people born in a particular year falls under the same sign category.
The Chinese New Year day is on February 7th, 2008. This day is a new moon day, it is the first day of the first Chinese lunar month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar system. The exact new moon time is at 11:44 on 07-Feb-08 in China time zone.
If we apply Chinese lunar calendar system on the USA time zones, we find something interesting here. In the US Pacific Standard Time (PST), the new moon time is at 19:44 of 2-06-08. In the US Eastern Standard Time (EST), the new moon time is at 21:44 of 2-06-08. Therefore, the Chinese New Year day for USA time zones is on February 6th, 2008.
Year 2008 is a Chinese Brown Earth (Soil) Rat Year. Why did the Chinese name the year 2008 as the Brown Earth Rat Year? Chinese calendar used the Stem-Branch system to count the days, months and years. There are 10 Stems and 12 Branches in this system. Stems are named by the Yin-Yang and Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth). The Stem sequence order is Yin-Yang Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, Yang Earth, Yin Earth, Yang Metal, Yin Metal, Yang Water and Yin Water. Branches use the animal names.
Chinese New Year 4705 or 2008 in the Western calendar is the Year of the Brown Earth Rat. This year of the rat begins a new 12 year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
Like the houses of the zodiac, the animals of Chinese astrology are said to influence your luck during the year. Your horoscope for 2008, the year of the rat, depends on which animal signifies the year you were born.
In traditional China, dating methods were based on lunar calendar. The Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on the cyclical dating that is governed by the track record of the new moon. An accepted folk method which reflected this cyclical method of recording years is the Twelve Animal Signs. Every year in the calendar is represented by an animal name or sign according to a repeating cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Hence, every twelve years the same animal name or sign would reappear.
The year 2007, by the records of Chinese calendar, is the year of Pig.The Chinese horoscope signifies that there are 12 different animals representing 12 consecutive years. So anyone born in a particular year that is named after any of the 12 animals, possess certain traits of that animal. Each animal year comes after a round of 12 years. Since Year 2007 has a unique combination of water as its base and fire as its symbol, it means that, this year is bully for all the Pigs. According to the early Chinese sages, the world is balanced between the two beginnings of Ying and Yang.
The Dog is the eleventh animal among the twelve zodiac animals in the Chinese horoscope. The rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog , and boar rotate annually.
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