Sign of the Chinese zodiac
The
snake
(
蛇
) is the sixth of the twelve-year cycle of
animals
which appear in the
Chinese zodiac
related to the
Chinese calendar
. The
Year of the Snake
is associated with the
Earthly Branch
symbol
巳
.
[1]
According to one
legend
, there is a reason for the order of the animals in the cycle. A race was held to cross a great river, and the order of the animals in the cycle was based upon their order in finishing the race. In this story, the
snake
compensated for not being the best swimmer by hitching a hidden ride on the
Horse's
hoof. When the horse was about to cross the finish line, the snake jumped out, scaring the horse, and thus edging it out for sixth place.
The same twelve animals are also used to symbolize the cycle of hours in the day, each being associated with a two-hour time period. The hour of the snake is 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., the time when the
Sun
warms up the Earth, and snakes are said to slither out of their holes. The month of the snake is the 4th month of the Chinese lunar calendar and it usually falls within the months of May through June depending on the Chinese to Gregorian calendar conversion.
The reason the animal signs are referred to as
zodiacal
is that one's personality is said to be influenced by the animal signs ruling the time of birth, together with
elemental
aspects of the animal signs within the
sexagenary cycle
. Similarly, the year governed by a particular animal sign is supposed to be
characterized
by it, with the effects particularly strong for people who were born in any year governed by the same animal sign.
In Chinese symbology, snakes are regarded as intelligent, with a tendency to lack scruples.
[2]
Years and elements
[
edit
]
People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "Year of the Snake", while also bearing the following elemental sign:
Start date
|
End date
|
Heavenly branch
|
10 February 1929
|
29 January 1930
|
Earth
Snake
|
27 January 1941
|
14 February 1942
|
Metal
Snake
|
14 February 1953
|
2 February 1954
|
Water
Snake
|
2 February 1965
|
20 January 1966
|
Wood
Snake
|
18 February 1977
|
6 February 1978
|
Fire
Snake
|
6 February 1989
|
26 January 1990
|
Earth
Snake
|
24 January 2001
|
11 February 2002
|
Metal
Snake
|
10 February 2013
|
30 January 2014
|
Water
Snake
|
29 January 2025
|
16 February 2026
|
Wood
Snake
|
15 February 2037
|
3 February 2038
|
Fire
Snake
|
2 February 2049
|
22 January 2050
|
Earth
Snake
|
21 January 2061
|
8 February 2062
|
Metal
Snake
|
7 February 2073
|
26 January 2074
|
Water
Snake
|
26 January 2085
|
13 February 2086
|
Wood
Snake
|
12 February 2097
|
31 January 2098
|
Fire
Snake
|
In
Japan
, the new sign of the zodiac starts on 1 January, while in
China
it starts, according to the traditional Chinese calendar, at the
new moon
that falls between 21 January and 20 February, so that persons born in January or February may have two different signs in the two countries, but persons born in late February (i.e. on or after 20 February) automatically have one sign in both countries.
Basic astrological associations
[
edit
]
Earthly branch:
|
Si
|
Element:
|
Fire
|
Planet:
|
Venus
|
Yin Yang:
|
Yin
|
Lunar month:
|
Fourth
|
Lucky numbers:
|
2, 8, 9
|
Lucky flowers:
|
Orchid
,
cactus
|
Lucky colors:
|
Red, light yellow, black; Avoid: white, golden, brown
[3]
|
Season:
|
Summer
|
The snake is the sixth of the twelve signs and belongs to the second trine, with the
ox
(second sign, 牛, Earthly branch: 丑) and the
rooster
(tenth sign, ?/鷄 [simplified Chinese: ?], Earthly branch: 酉), with which it is most compatible. The pig is the most incompatible.
[4]
Cultural notes
[
edit
]
A Snake Year is sometimes referred to as a Little Dragon Year to assuage possible feelings of inadequacy among people born during a Snake Year.
[5]
Gallery
[
edit
]
Depictions of zodiacal snakes, alone or with the other eleven signs, show how they have been imagined in the calendrical context.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Eberhard, Wolfram
(2003 [1986 (German version 1983)]),
A Dictionary of Chinese Symbols: Hidden Symbols in Chinese Life and Thought
. London, New York: Routledge.
ISBN
0-415-00228-1
- Vietnam Veterans for Factual History (2015).
Indochina in the Year of the Snake, 1965
. p. 288.
ISBN
9781929932658
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Chinese Zodiac members
| |
---|
Other Zodiac members
| Korean
| |
---|
Japanese
| |
---|
Filipino
| |
---|
Vietnamese
| |
---|
Cham
| |
---|
Malay
| |
---|
Khmer
| |
---|
Thai
| |
---|
Tai Lue
| |
---|
Gurung
| |
---|
Bulgar
| |
---|
Tibetan
| |
---|
Old Mongol
| |
---|
Kazakh and Kyrgyz
| |
---|
Turkic peoples
(
Volga Bulgars
,
Kazars
, etc.)
| |
---|
Persian
| |
---|
|
---|