Most people know their star sign, but do you know which sign of the Chinese zodiac you were born in?

In western astrology of course, the signs change roughly at monhly intervals, but each year in the Chinese zodiac year in Chinese astrology lasts for about a year.

The Chinese zodiac signs are all named after animals. Legend has it that as Buddha was about to depart this world he called all the animals together to say goodbye. Only 12 turned up so, to show his appreciation of their loyalty, he vowed that from then on each year would be named after one of them.

In the west our new year falls on January 1st of course but Chinese years are based on the lunar calendar and the beginning and end of each year does not fall on the same day each year. Chinese new years fall any time from late January to early February; the actual date can vary by up to 3 weeks. So for babies born at this time of year it is necessary to consult the charts to see the Chinese year during which she or he was born.

In much the same way that each of the western zodiac signs have their own character traits, people born during Chinese years also share certain aspects of their character.

The current Chinese year is the year of the Rat which runs until January 25th 2009. To find out the character traits of Rats, visit our website where you will find details of the dates of all Chinese years going back to 1965, together with a description of the character of all babies born during the various Chinese years.