Where Did The Chinese Zodiac Originate From?

Anyone that has ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant (especially in the United States), is likely familiar with the Chinese zodiac. Often explained on the placemats in these establishments, the Chinese zodiac is a system which relates each year to an animal. There are twelve animals in the zodiac, making for a 12-year cycle. The Chinese zodiac is similar to the western zodiac in that they both work in cycles of twelve.

It is unknown exactly when the Chinese lunar calendar was first created or introduced. Legend holds that the calendar was created by the Yellow Emperor in 2600 BCE as a way to mark the lunar new year. Regardless, it is known that the Chinese zodiac has been in use for thousands of years.

The Chinese zodiac, used in conjunction with the Chinese calendar is a sequential record of the Chinese lunar new year. As such, it is the longest chronological record in world history. For thousands of years the Chinese  have used this system to mark the passage of time.

In 1911, China adopted the Gregorian calendar. This calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, is the internationally accepted civil calendar today. However, the Chinese no longer use the lunar calendar for official business, it is still widely used to mark holidays, birthdays, and other special events. In fact, many Chinese calendars manufactured today still use both systems.

Early Systems to Tell Time

Early archaeological and historical records suggest that one of the first systems used by the Chinese to tell time was the system of Earthly Branches. There are twelve Earthly Branches, known as: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai.

Each branch corresponded to a year, making for a twelve-year cycle. This correlates with the twelve years it takes the planet Jupiter to orbit once around the sun. The number twelve also refers to the number of months in the year, as well as the number of hours in a day (the Chinese use a system of double-hours).

Around the year 1000 CE, these twelve earthly branches were replaced by the animals of the Chinese zodiac. One reason that this was done was so that the calendar would be well understood by all. The twelve branches calendar had proved inaccessible to common people. Therefore the twelve branches became the twelve signs of the zodiac, each year in the cycle represented by a different animal.

Animals of the Zodiac

The animals of the zodiac are the:

• Rat
• Ox
• Tiger
• Rabbit
• Dragon
• Snake
• Horse
• Sheep
• Monkey
• Rooster
• Dog
• Pig

Each year in the 12-year zodiac cycle is represented by one of these animals. Those born under that animal’s sign are said to possess the characteristics of that animal. For example, someone born in 1984, in the year of the Rat, is said to share this animal’s propensity to be industrious and clever.

You may be wondering, how did these specific animals receive such an important honor? There are many legends regarding this question. In the most popular of these myths it is told that, long ago on the Chinese New Year, Buddha called all of the animals in the world together. They were to convene in order to help Buddha reorganize the world.  However, out of all of the animals, only twelve showed up. These twelve, arranged in the order in which they arrived to the meeting, were each granted one year in the zodiac. Other myths abound, though most are similar to the one above.

Chinese Zodiac and Telling Time

The Chinese zodiac may seem very odd to those in the United States. This is (in part) because this system represents a view of time unlike that of people in the western world. While those in the West mark time in a purely linear fashion, starting from the birth of Jesus Christ, the Chinese zodiac represents a more cyclical view of time. Unlike linear time, in which a year occurs only once, the concept of cyclical time holds that years cycle back and repeat themselves.

The Chinese Zodiac, though its specific origins are unknown, has been used for at least a thousand years. Though replaced in official use by the Gregorian calendar, the Chinese Zodiac still occupies a very important place in the culture of the Chinese people.