Humans don't control their destiny, it is determined from their birth by the alignment of the planets, the month, the day and the hour of their birth in the world. At least this is how the Chinese Horoscope, one of the types of horoscopes there are, understands it.
Which are the signs of the Chinese Horoscope?
As it is commonly known thanks to general knowledge, the Chinese Horoscope is represented through animals, which are presented in this order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
The Chinese Zodiac isn't only used in the Asian country, but also in others, those under the cultural influence of China. Thus, some animals may differ depending on the country.
Which is the origin of these signs?
There are several legends about the choice of animals and the specific order. Very often, it's said that the selection was made at a banquet of the Jade Emperor, the leader of the gods, or Buddha, to be selected as signs of the Zodiac.
Thus, in one version, the Ox, who was generous, would have accepted to carry the Rat on its horns. The race ended with the crossing of a river, the Rat would have preceded the Ox jumping to the shore, becoming the first Chinese astrological sign. And the cat isn't present in the Chinese zodiac because the Rat has "forgotten" to wake it up, either to compete, or in another version, to go to the party organized by the Jade Emperor for the 13 animals.
Another legend is related to the Pig, which would have convinced the Jade Emperor to be the referee to judge the value of other animals. So, he placed the Rat and the Ox in front of the Tiger and the Dragon, which made them very angry. The Monkey, to appease the Tiger, attracted it to the "king" character on the forehead.
The Rooster, to appease the Dragon, offered its horns like a crown to proclaim it "king of aquatic animals", and the Rabbit challenged the Dragon in the race; the Rabbit won when the Dragon trapped the horns in the branches of a tree.
The Rooster was responsible and, annoyed, demanded the return of its horns, but the Dragon told it that he would return them when the Sun rose in the West, and this is the reason why every morning the Rooster pleads with its song that the Sun rises to the West.
Thanks to the Dog, the Rabbit won some positions, because it had advised him to cut his tail. But when it came to congratulate him, waiting for some recognition, the Rabbit denigrated it and the Dog bit it. Therefore, he was placed in the last position as a punishment.
The Pig was at the top of the list before handing over its classification to the Jade Emperor. The last one having heard about the incidents, placed him in the last position.
Thus, the Chinese Horoscope remained as before mentioned: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
In ancient times, much attention was paid to signs when marrying young people. Two dogs couldn't be together, for example, while a dog and a pig was a good union.
Which is my Chinese Horoscope?
In any horoscope, the moment of the birth of the individual conditions its destiny by a cosmic influence, which marks its personality, and its destiny is marked by the presence or not of the stars in this or that sector of its life.
While in Western astrology it's determined by the month of birth, in China it's determined by the year of birth. And in this sense, it's interesting to note that the month of birth of Western astrology was cut off from the tropical year, that is, in the invariable space of time that the sun takes to make the complete return of the ecliptic, so, both Chinese and Western signs are tributaries of the Sun.
The months in Western Astrology don't play any role as such, and it's the new moon that dictates the passage from one sign to another. On the contrary, in Chinese astrology, the months are important; they give birth to lunar signs.
The Chinese Horoscope, by years
Now, we expose the twelve signs of the Chinese Horoscope and the years they represent.
Rat: 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008.
Ox or buffalo: 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009.
Tiger: 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010.
Rabbit or cat: 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011.
Dragon: 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012.
Snake: 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013.
Horse: 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014.
Goat or sheep: 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015.
Monkey: 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016.
Rooster: 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017.
Dog: 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006.
Pig or boar: 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007.
The 5 elements in the Chinese Horoscope
The five major planets, at the time of the ancient Chinese astronomers, are associated with the five elements that are associated with the Zodiac.
1. Metal
It is associated with Venus, and governs those born in years finished in 0 or 1. They are characterized by joy, structure, independence and power.
2. Water
It's the element of people whose year of birth ends in 2 or 3, and is related to the planet Mercury. One of its attributes is great creativity.
3. Wood
It's associated with those born in years that end in 4 or 5, and the planet Jupiter. It's a strong, enterprising, bold and daring element.
4. Fire
That has equivalence with Mars, is the element of the Chinese horoscope of those born in a year ending in 6 or 7.
5. Earth
Finally, it's the element of those born in years ending in 8 or 9, and its ruling planet is Saturn. It's associated with caution. Those born under this element usually succeed in life.
The position of the planets in the sky, as well as the one of the Sun (Yang) and the Moon (Yin) and the passage of the comets at the time of birth, influence our destiny.