The 12 Animals Representing Years

The mouse, or rat, is the first in the cycle of 12 animals representing years. The others are, chronologically, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey,the rooster, the dog and the pig. Why the Chinese use these animals to designate years? A legend has it that the twelve animals quarreled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a competition: whoever was to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish. All the twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. Unknown to the ox, the rat had jumped into its ear. As the ox was about to jump ashore, the rat jumped out of the ox's ear, and won the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. That is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second and the pig last.

Your Animal Signs in the Chinese Zodia

There are 12 signs in Chinese astrology, each of which are represented by an animal. To locate your animal just look up your year of birth below.

RAT

1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984,1996

OX

1901, 1913, 1925, 1937,1949,1961,1973,1985, 1997

TIGER

1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998

RABBIT

1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

DRAGON

1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000

SNAKE

1905,1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977,1989

HORSE

1906,1918,1930, 1942, 1954, 1966,1978,1990

GOAT

1907,1919,1931,1943,1955,1967,1979,1991

MONKEY

1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980,1992

ROOSTER

1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957,1969,1981,1993

DOG

1910,1922,1934,1946,1958,1970,1982,1994

PIG

1911,1923, 1935, 1947,1959,1971,1983,1995