Legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth. Only 12 of the animals came to bid him farewell, so Buddha honoured them each with a year.
The order was taken from the sequences that they appeared to him; first the rat, then the ox, the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
While each year in the Chinese calendar is assigned an animal, it is also assigned one of the five elements – fire, water, metal, wood and earth. (For example, 2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon.) The elements are believed to bring out different characteristics in each of the 12 zodiac animals, which in turn affects people’s fortunes in that year.
What’s the Chinese zodiac sign for 2014?
This year is the Year of the Horse. If you were born in 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 or 2002, then you are a horse and this is your year.
– Source : www.asianz.org.nz
