What are the Symbols of the Chinese Zodiac?
The symbols of the Chinese zodiac are rather complex. When most people think about the Chinese zodiac, they think about the 12 zodiac animals which are known as the Earthly Branches. However, the symbols in the Chinese zodiac also interact with the five elements, called the Heavenly Stems, generating a 60 year cycle which encompasses all 12 animals and each animal’s possible five elemental associations. In Chinese astrology, knowing your Earthly Branch is only one part of the equation.
The symbols of the Chinese zodiac are rather complex. When most people think about the Chinese zodiac, they think about the 12 zodiac animals which are known as the Earthly Branches. However, the symbols in the Chinese zodiac also interact with the five elements, called the Heavenly Stems, generating a 60 year cycle which encompasses all 12 animals and each animal’s possible five elemental associations. In Chinese astrology, knowing your Earthly Branch is only one part of the equation. When calculating where your birthday falls within the Chinese zodiac, it is important to remember that the Chinese zodiac runs on a lunar calendar, not the Roman calendar. Therefore, the zodiac symbols change at the lunar new year, rather than on the first of January. As a result, someone born in a year such as 1970 could be a rooster or a dog, depending on his or her date of birth.
