Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese Zodiac is determined by the Chinese Lunar Calendar and is based on the cycles of the moon,
unlike our western or Gregorian calendar which is based on the solar cycle.

In Chinese astrology, because the moon's cycle repeats itself every 12 years, there are 12 animals in the
Chinese Horoscope - one for each year of the lunar cycle. The 12 animals in the Western Zodiac in
contrast, are assigned to each solar month.

The Legend
The origins of the Chinese Zodiac go back a few thousand years. According to the myths, long time ago,
Buddha decided to call all the animals on earth. But only twelve came:

 the Rat
 the Ox
 the Tiger
 the Rabbit
 the Dragon
 the Snake
 the Horse
 the Goat
 the Monkey
 the Rooster
 the Dog
 the Pig

In recompense, he assigned each of these animals a year on the cycle affirming that children born in that
year would acquire the personality traits of the animal assigned to that year.

In order to decide their order in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, the animals held a very exciting race. The first
one to cross the river would be granted the first year, the second to come in would be the second animal in
the cycle, and so on.

The strong, hardworking Ox was in the lead. Suddenly, the clever Rat, jumped on the Ox's back, he did not
even feel the little thing getting a free ride. At the last second before reaching shore, the Rat jumped on land,
winning the race! The Ox came in second, the Tiger third, and so it went... the happy-go-lucky Pig took his
time and came in last... and the Chinese Zodiac was born...
The Animals... which one is yours?In China, individual birth dates are not as important as the
year in which a person is born. And if you want to know a person's age, you don't ask how old they are, you ask for their Chinese
Zodiac animal. To know which one is yours, look up the year of your birth below and look at the qualities of that animal to see
how much of it agrees with you:

Rat
If you were born in 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 then you are a Rat.
You are charming, picky, ambitious and bright. You are adventurous and deep thinking.
You get along well with Dragons and Monkeys. Stay away from Horses.

Ox
If you were born in 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 you are an Ox.
You are patient, hardworking and dependable. You are trustworthy and like to follow rules.
Your friends are the Snake and the Rooster. Your opposite is the Goat.

Tiger
If you were born in 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 you are a Tiger.
You are powerful, aggressive and courageous. You can also be rebellious and unpredictable
but at the same time protective and sympathetic.
The Dog and the Horse are your best signs. The monkey is trouble.

Rabbit
If you were born in 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 you are a Rabbit.
The Rabbit is considered the luckiest of the Chinese Zodiac animals. You are affectionate,
virtuous and kind. You are sensitive to beauty and aim for peace in your life.
You are most compatible with the Goat and the Pig. Your opposite is the Rooster.

Dragon
If you were born in 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 you are a Dragon.
The Dragon was a symbol of Imperial power in ancient China; and Chinese consider it a great honor to be
born in the Year of the Dragon. This belief is so strong that every time the Year of the Dragon comes around,
there is a mini Baby Boom in this year.
Dragons are full of strength and energy, always on the go. You are powerful, wealthy and
wise.
Look to the Monkey or the Rat and watch out for Dogs.

Snake
If you were born in 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 you are a Snake.
Snakes are determined, wise and intense. You are vain and inclined towards physical
beauty.
Befriend the Rooster and the Ox but not the Pig.
 Horse
If you were born in 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 you are a Horse.
Horses are popular and very attractive. Talkative and sometimes showy and impatient.
You get along with Tigers and Dogs but never with Rats.

Goat
If you were born in 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 you are a Goat.
You are creative and elegant. Goats are tender and sympathetic, sometimes shy.
The Ox is trouble. Rabbits and Pigs are OK.

Monkey
If you were born in 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 you are a Monkey.
Monkeys are charming and intelligent, inventive and at times deceitful. You are able to
influence people and are successful at almost anything.
Your friends are the Dragon and the Rat but not the Tiger.

Rooster
If you were born in 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 you are a Rooster.
You are proud, eccentric and a little too sure of yourself. You enjoy learning and are not
afraid to work.
You will be fine with Snakes and Oxen, but Rabbits are trouble.

Dog
If you were born in 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 you are a Dog.
Dogs are loyal and sincere. You like things to be fair and work well with others.
Your friends are the Tiger and the Horse. Watch out for Dragons.

Pig
If you were born in 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 you are a Pig.
The Pig is the last animal in the Chinese Zodiac cycle. Pigs are brave, noble and chivalrous.
You make lifelong friendships.
You get along with Rabbits and Goats but must avoid other Pigs.
Now listen to your teacher’s other version of the legend and fill in the grid.

How did Buddha call the

animals?
Can you find a modern synonym
and a French equivalent of
“feast”?
How much time did the animals
have to arrive?
Where was Buddha expecting
them?
Who arrived first?
Was it fair?
Why?
Which animal was forgotten in
the Chinese Calendar?

Writing task
On a piece of paper, give your opinion on the rat’s, the ox’s and
the forgotten animal’s personalities.
 Script.
Once upon a time, thousands of years ago, the enlightened Buddha decided to organize a
big feast with all the animals. So he sent invitations to all of the animals of the earth and
expected them to come 3 days later on a mountain. In his invitations, he said he would
grant a present to each of them, according to their order of arrival.
The cat received the invitation, but he was too lazy to open it. So he asked the rat to read it
for him. The rat did so, but he said the feast would be 4 days later, not 3. So the cat said he
would be there and went back to sleep for 3 days.
When the ox read the invitation, he decided to get going immediately because he knew he
was very slow and all the other animals would arrive before him otherwise. So he started
walking towards the sacred mountain, very slowly, but with great determination, never
stopping. He did not notice the tiny little rat that climbed on his head.
“I’m so tiny, if I go there on foot, I’ll get crushed by some big animal. Moreover, this is less
tiring!”
The ox kept on walking and walking, stopping only for a short drink once in a while. During
all this time, the rat was quietly hiding on his head, sleeping a lot, eating fruit he found on
the way and drinking when the ox stopped.
On the third day, the ox was the first to approach Buddha on the mountain. But just as
Buddha opened his arms to welcome him, the rat jumped in front of the ox and claimed to
be first. So he was granted the first year in the lunar calendar by Buddha. The ox was a little
disappointed after being used this way but he was still happy to be given the second year of
the calendar.

Then the other animals all arrived: the huge Tiger, the fast Rabbit, the majestic Dragon, the
slithering shiny Snake, the sturdy Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and
finally the Pig. The feast was great and they all had a lot of fun. And delicious food too!

The cat was still sleeping in his cave, and the next morning he woke up very early to arrive
on time for the feast. He reached the mountain in a couple of hours but when he arrived,
Buddha wasn’t there anymore and most of the animals had already left. He asked his
cousin, the Tiger: “Tell me Tiger, where is Buddha? Isn’t he supposed to give a big feast
today?”

“What are you talking about? Of course Buddha’s not here, the feast was yesterday! And it
was awesome! Why didn’t you come by the way?”

The cat didn’t answer; he only asked where the rat was. Nobody knew for sure, because he
had left the party first. But everyone told him about his treachery and the way he arrived
first by using the ox. Then the cat had no more doubts: he knew the rat had tricked him so
that he couldn’t come to the feast in time. He was also to blame of course; this would never
have happened if he had read the invitation himself! Still he was very angry at the rat. And
that’s why cats chase rats and mice even today.