Do you want to know which animal you could be? Find out the legendary evolutions of the Chinese New Year animals.
The event of Chinese New Year is without a hesitation considered to be the most prominent event in the Chinese lunar calendar. The traditional celebrations have been going on for years and the festive spirit is pretty much alive even today. The unique characteristic of the Chinese New Year is however the twelve year cycle that associates the coming of the year with an animal symbol.
The Chinese New Year animal follows a twelve year cycle and hence repeats. According to their present status, the next year should be the year of the Ox. The ancient philosophers of China have done a research on the behavior of the animals and have drawn a similarity between their personality traits and human nature.
Thereby if any person is born on the year of a certain animal he is supposed to bear resemblance to the nature of the animal of that particular year. Any individual who has taken birth in the year of the ox is bound to have decent organizational talent and they are considerably reliable and loyal. Also such people are patient and strong.
The theory of the twelve year cycle with the animals designated to each year is derived from the Buddhist dharma. Legend has it that it was Buddha himself who summoned all these animals before he came down to earth. There was a contest to be held amongst these animals where the first one to reach the finishing line would be assigned to the first year.
The race started during which there was heavy competition and betrayal especially on the part of the rat that had made a deal with the cat but didn't stick to his word. All the while it looked as though the ox would take the top spot as it made its way through the crowd. Little did the ox know that the clever rat was actually riding on its back and just when the ox was about to reach the finish line the rat leaped forward to claim the first position.
Hence we observe that the first year of the twelve year cycle is the year of the rat because he managed to finish the race in first place, by hook or by crook. The year of the ox follows the rat as the hard working animal came in at second place. The ox is then followed by the rest of the animals according to the order in which they finished. The cycle ends with the pig!
If you are thinking why just twelve animals came to Buddha and why specifically these animals then keep wondering because you will get no answers to these questions! The fact of the matter is that this is an age-old tradition which has been kept alive up till today and is deeply embedded in the Chinese culture. As a token of appreciation for their coming Buddha apparently assigned a year to each of the animals and that's the way the legend has it.
The event of Chinese New Year is without a hesitation considered to be the most prominent event in the Chinese lunar calendar. The traditional celebrations have been going on for years and the festive spirit is pretty much alive even today. The unique characteristic of the Chinese New Year is however the twelve year cycle that associates the coming of the year with an animal symbol.
The Chinese New Year animal follows a twelve year cycle and hence repeats. According to their present status, the next year should be the year of the Ox. The ancient philosophers of China have done a research on the behavior of the animals and have drawn a similarity between their personality traits and human nature.
Thereby if any person is born on the year of a certain animal he is supposed to bear resemblance to the nature of the animal of that particular year. Any individual who has taken birth in the year of the ox is bound to have decent organizational talent and they are considerably reliable and loyal. Also such people are patient and strong.
The theory of the twelve year cycle with the animals designated to each year is derived from the Buddhist dharma. Legend has it that it was Buddha himself who summoned all these animals before he came down to earth. There was a contest to be held amongst these animals where the first one to reach the finishing line would be assigned to the first year.
The race started during which there was heavy competition and betrayal especially on the part of the rat that had made a deal with the cat but didn't stick to his word. All the while it looked as though the ox would take the top spot as it made its way through the crowd. Little did the ox know that the clever rat was actually riding on its back and just when the ox was about to reach the finish line the rat leaped forward to claim the first position.
Hence we observe that the first year of the twelve year cycle is the year of the rat because he managed to finish the race in first place, by hook or by crook. The year of the ox follows the rat as the hard working animal came in at second place. The ox is then followed by the rest of the animals according to the order in which they finished. The cycle ends with the pig!
If you are thinking why just twelve animals came to Buddha and why specifically these animals then keep wondering because you will get no answers to these questions! The fact of the matter is that this is an age-old tradition which has been kept alive up till today and is deeply embedded in the Chinese culture. As a token of appreciation for their coming Buddha apparently assigned a year to each of the animals and that's the way the legend has it.
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Chinese new year animals are a wonderful way to introduce the festival to children. If you would like ot learn about other fun Chinese new year activities follow the hyperlinks.
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