Chinese Zodiac and Chinese Calendar

Q1. What is the difference between the Chinese and Western Calendar?

The Western calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) is a Solar calendar based on the earth turning around the sun.

Chinese calendar is primarily a Lunar calendar based on the moon turning around the earth. It's actually a Lunisolar Calendar. Unlike the Greek or Islamic Lunar calendar, the MONTHS in the Chinese calendar are based on the moon ; but the YEAR in the Chinese calendar is based on the sun. It uses Intercalary months -- add one more month in an Intercalary year, then there were 13 months in this year. There are always either 29 or 30 days per month, no matter if it's an Intercalary month or not in the Chinese Calendar. To adjust the difference -- add 1 Intercalary month every 3 years, add 2 Intercalary months every 5 years, and add 7 Intercalary months every 19 years. It seems complicated but not if we remember that we also use Intercalary days in the Western calendar. That's the reason why in February there are 28 days but 29 days every fourth year. During a period of 400 years 97 (no 100) intercalary days would actually be added in total.

Chinese calendar uses the terms of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and the combinations of 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches to present the years, days and hours, e.g. Jia-Wu Year, Jia-Wu Day, Zi Hour etc.

10 Heavenly Stems are: 1. Jia 2. Yi 3. Bing 4. Ding 5. Wu* 6. Ji 7. Geng 8. Xin 9.Ren 10. Gei

12 Earthly Branches are: 1. Zi 2. Chou 3. Yin 4. Mao 5. Chen 6. Si 7. Wu* 8. Wei 9. Shen 10. You 11. Xu 12. Hai

*Wu is presented as 4 different Chinese characters at least because there are 4 tone marks for each syllable. There is no way to show 4 tone marks for each Chinese syllable in English so far. Therefore, at times it causes much confusion. Wu in 10 Heavenly Stems, Wu in 12 Earthly Branches, Wu in numbers (means 5) and Wu in Dr. Wu are 4 different Chinese characters.

For years: use only one Heavenly Stem plus one Earthly Branch, e.g. 2003 is Gei-Wei Year;

For months: uses numbers 1 to 12 like in Western calendar;

For dates and days: uses numbers 1 to 30 for dates and uses one Heavenly Stem plus one Earthly Branch for days, e.g. March 6 (date), Wu-Yin day; (There are No days like Monday to Sunday in Chinese calendar.)

For hours: uses 12 Earthly Branches to stand for 12 periods (called Shi-Chen) during 24 hours, each consisting of 2 hours.

Q2. Why are there 12 animals in Chinese zodiac symbols? Why is there no cat in Chinese zodiac symbols?

Many years ago, according to an Ancient Chinese legend, Buddha decided to choose animals as the signs of 12 year cycle. He summoned all the animals to be present at a meeting next morning and he would secretly select the first 12 animals arriving to be the signs of a year respectively. The rat and cat, who were good friends, agreed to wake each other up. Next morning Rat, who woke up first, broke his promise and left cat sound asleep as he quietly left alone to arrive at the meeting. Buddha selected the first 12 animals as they arrived to be the signs for the years. They came in this order: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and the pig. By the time the cat arrived everyone was celebrating their good fortune and that is why there is no cat in the zodiac. Needless to say, Cat and Rat became enemies from then on.

Q3. How to be sure you have the correct animal year if you are born in January or February?

The New Year's Day in the Chinese calendar is in January OR February of the Western calendar depending on the year. If you are born in January or February, you may need to find the actual year in Chinese calendar.

The most important day is the Chinese New Year's Day (CNYD). For example, CNYD is Feb. 12 in 2002. 2001 is the Year of Snake while 2002 is the Year of Horse. You are a "Horse" if you are born in or After Feb. 12, 2002, but you are a "Snake" if you are born Before Feb. 12, 2002. Here are the CNYD for one hundred years -- Formats in "Year (CNYD-mm/dd)":

Example: 2003(02/01/) means CNYD is Feb. 1 in year of 2003.

1900(01/31), 1901(02/19), 1902(02/08), 1903(01/29), 1904(02/16),

1905(02/04), 1906(01/25), 1907(02/13), 1908(02/02), 1909(01/22),

1910(02/10), 1911(01/30), 1912(02/18), 1913(02/06), 1914(01/26),

1915(02/14), 1916(02/03), 1917(01/23), 1918(02/11), 1919(02/01),

1920(02/20), 1921(02/08), 1922(01/28), 1923(02/16), 1924(02/05),

1925(01/24), 1926(02/13), 1927(02/02), 1928(01/23), 1929(02/10),

1930(01/30), 1931(02/17), 1932(02/06), 1933(01/26), 1934(02/14),

1935(02/04), 1936(01/24), 1937(02/11), 1938(01/31), 1939(02/19),

1940(02/08), 1941(01/27), 1942(02/15), 1943(02/05), 1944(01/25),

1945(02/13), 1946(02/02), 1947(01/22), 1948(02/10), 1949(01/29),

1950(02/17), 1951(02/06), 1952(01/27), 1953(02/14), 1954(02/03),

1955(01/24), 1956(02/12), 1957(01/31), 1958(02/18), 1959(02/08),

1960(01/28), 1961(02/15), 1962(02/05), 1963(01/26), 1964(02/13),

1965(02/02), 1966(01/21), 1967(02/09), 1968(01/30), 1969(02/17),

1970(02/06), 1971(01/27), 1972(02/15), 1973(02/03), 1974(01/23),

1975(02/11), 1976(01/31), 1977(02/18), 1978(02/07), 1979(02/28),

1980(02/16), 1981(02/05), 1982(01/25), 1983(02/13), 1984(02/02),

1985(02/20), 1986(02/09), 1987(01/29), 1988(02/17), 1989(02/06),

1990(01/27), 1991(02/15), 1992(02/04), 1993(01/23), 1994(02/10),

1995(01/31), 1996(02/19), 1997(02/07), 1998(01/28), 1999(02/16),

2000(02/05), 2001(01/24), 2002(02/12), 2003(02/01), 2004(01/22),

2005(02/09), 2006(01/29), 2007(02/18), 2008(02/07), 2009(01/26).

See What is your Chinese Zodiac Sign here Chinese Horoscope and Feng Shui