Chinese astrology
A bit of history According to tradition, which practically dates back to the very origins of astrology - Emperor Huang Di in fact codified the 111 stars in 2637 BC. - the ancient Chinese astronomers associated the five main planets with the five elements from which they take their current name: Jupiter is Wood, Mars is Fire, Saturn is Earth, Venus is Metal, Mercury is Water. Their position in the sky, as well as that of the sun and the moon, called Yang and Yin, and the eventual passage of comets at the moment of birth, influence fate.
The legend
Numerous legends tell how the animals corresponding to the planets were chosen, and how their order was determined. The Emperor, head of the gods, and Buddha, depending on the version, would have organized a competition between the animals to divide them.
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The pig had managed to be commissioned by the Emperor as a judge of the value of each animal. He began by angering the tiger and the dragon, and placed them behind the rat and the ox. These made such a confusion that it was necessary to calm them down. To do this, the monkey drew the sign it still bears on the tiger's forehead, to confirm its title of sovereign of land animals. As for the dragon, on the other hand, the rooster, which at the time had horns, offered them to him as a crown. The dragon was then consecrated king of aquatic animals.
At that point the hare wanted to challenge the dragon in a running competition. The latter accepted: the two opponents proceeded side by side when the hare headed for a wood. The dragon's new horns became entangled in the branches and thus lost. Then he scolded the rooster who, offended, wanted his gift back. The dragon replied that he would give him horns when the sun rose in the west, and it is since that day that the rooster begs the sun to rise on that side every morning.
The hare owed its speed to the dog, who advised him to cut his tail, which at the time was long. After his victory, the dog went to congratulate the hare, hoping to be thanked by her, who instead refused to do so. Furious, the dog bit her and was punished.
Finally, when the pig had finished classifying the animals, he placed himself at the top of the list and went to bring the list to the Emperor for approval. Buddha, who had learned of all the incidents that had occurred, demoted him to the last place.
The Chinese New Year
Since the Chinese calendar is sun-lunar, the date of change of the sign is that of the Chinese new year, which coincides with the day of the new moon (on the date of Beijing) between January 21 and February 20.
However, in the counting system of the years to which the animals are associated, the changes are made at the beginning of spring, which falls on 4 or 5 February.
A little trick to easily calculate the Chinese New Year
The cycle restarts approximately every 95 years, so in 1900 the year began on January 31 and also began on January 31 in 1995. But this can vary from 1 to 2 days depending on the year.
