Guest Author - Caroline Baker

The Chinese Zodiac is comprised of 12 distinct animals. Each year is signified by an animal. The cycle is continual, starting back at the first animal and thus representing the cyclic nature of the world.

As the story goes, the Emperor of Heaven summoned twelve animals and said the order by which they arrive at his doorstep would determine their order in the cycle. The first to appear on his doorstep was the Rat and the last the Pig. Thus begins the cycle.

The animals describe not only how the year will be, but also the characteristics of people born in that year. Unlike the Western Zodiac, where the signs are associated with months, the Chinese Zodiac served to ease social interaction. One could ask, what animal are you to discover approximately how old a person is without intruding by asking directly. After all, it's impolite to ask anyone just how old they really are, in any culture.

Each Chinese New Years, we bid farewell to one animal and welcome the next. It is important to note that because the Chinese New Years doesn't coincide with the Gregorian Calendar, people born in January and February by the Western calendar might actually be the previous year's animal symbol. Because, according to the Chinese calendar, they were actually born in December, not the New Year.

Rat - 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996
Ox - 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997
Tiger - 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998
Rabbit - 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999
Dragon - 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000
Snake - 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001
Horse - 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002
Sheep - 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003
Monkey - 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004
Rooster - 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005
Dog - 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006
Boar - 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007