☯ Chinese Zodiac ☯

The Chinese zodiac is comprised of twelve animals that first appeared in the during the Zhan Guo period(5th century B.C.). It is unclear when the zodiac chart was actually created, but it was officially recognized 2000 years ago, during the Han Dynasty [206 B.C.-9 A.D.]. During the North Zhou Dynasty [557-581 A.D.], the zodiac became a popular way to determine a person's birth year, and it is still widely used today. The zodiac is based on a sixty-year cycle, with each animal representing a different year. The lunar calendar established the order of the Chinese zodiac animals. This calendar dates from the 14th century B.C.