LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Chinese Zodiac: Chinese Zodiac Calendar
built 184 days ago
Most Chinese Zodiac Calendar discussions focus only on the 12 animals. According to legend, these were the animals that appeared before Buddha (or the Jade Emperor, depending on the story) in response to an invitation. The 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac represent the order of each animal’s arrival. The legends depicting each animal’s journey differ slightly, but the order that prevails is as follows: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Source:
The Chinese lunar calendar is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2637 B.C. when the first cycle of the zodiac was introduced. One complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five simple cycles of 12 years each. The 78th cycle started on February 1984, and will end on February 2044. Twelve animals were assigned to each of the 12 years when, according to legend, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth. Only twelve animals came to bid him farewell. As a reward he named a year after each one in the order that it arrived.
Source:
The Chinese animal zodiac is a rotating cycle of 12 animals, a different one for each year. These recurring animals represent a concept of time, traditionally used for dating the years in China. The Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycle of the moon, somewhat different to the western solar calendar, with the beginning of the Chinese year falling somewhere between late January and early February. Although China adopted the western calendar in 1911, they still celebrate the Chinese New Year, giving them a double celebration. Most Chinese calendars have the dates for both the Western and the Chinese New Year printed on them.
Source:
Considering that the Chinese Zodiac was created thousands of years ago, it is not surprising that there are several interpretations of its origin. Most agree... that the 12 animals on the Chinese Zodiac calendar were the animals that appeared in response to an invitation to a celebration from Buddha or the Jade Emperor. Another legend says that the animals fought over their place on the calendar. In order to fairly resolve the conflict, the gods had them race across a river. The order of the animals on the calendar reflects their completion of the race—the rat placing first and the pig finishing last.
Source:
The Chinese zodiac consists of twelve animals, rather than the solar signs used in the west. In the Chinese calendar each period lasts for a full cycle of the moon, from new to full. There are twelve complete lunar cycles in a Chinese zodiac year, but one animal symbolizes the entire year. According to their calendar, the Chinese complete a cycle every twelve years. So if you were born in the year of the rat, you would celebrate your zodiac birthday every twelve years, and your Chinese zodiac sign would be the rat. In the west your astrological sign appears once each year.
Source:
The Chinese Lunar New Year is the longest chronological record in history, dating from 2600BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Like the Western calendar, The Chinese Lunar Calendar is a yearly one, with the start of the lunar year being based on the cycles of the moon. Therefore, because of this cyclical dating, the beginning of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. This year it falls on February 12th. A complete cycle takes 60 years and is made up of five cycles of 12 years each.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Chinese Zodiac Calendar