Jade Emperor: A Chinese Zodiac Myth

Jade Emperor: A Chinese Zodiac Myth — page 3
INTRODUCTION The Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon This means that the beginning of the year can be anywhere from the end of January to the middle of February The lunar calendar has a twelve year cycle Each year is named after an animal The twelve animals are the rat ox tiger rabbit dragon snake horse goat monkey rooster dog and pig Each animal is associated with certain characteristics People born in that year's animal sign are thought to have these characteristics as well The twelve animal symbols are thousands of years old The earliest written version of the Chinese zodiac is from a historical document called the Lun Heng written in the third century BCE There are many different stories explaining the Chinese zodiac Some legends tell of Buddha naming the years after the animals In this adaptation of the story the Jade Emperor invites all the animals of the world to race The first twelve animals are rewarded by having a year named after them in the Chinese calendar