The Chinese Zodiac. An essay by Meghan.
The Chinese Zodiac, also known as the Sheng xiao, (in Chinese) is a 12 year cycle. Each year is named after an animal, and it is believed that your personality is determined by what year you were born in. For example, if you were born in the year of the Monkey, you might have some certain traits, such as being polite, competitive and perhaps sometimes vain. In this essay, I shall explore the origin of the Zodiac, some of the uses of the Zodiac and include opinions on the Zodiac from some of my, (ahem) acquaintances. So without further ado, my essay on the Chinese Zodiac.
Once upon a time, God invited all the animals to a banquet for the next day. But the mischievous Rat told his neighbor, the Cat that the banquet was the day after tomorrow. The next day, the animals all went to the banquet, with the Rat in the lead, riding on the Oxes head. All except for the Cat, who had been tricked.
This is just one of the many Chinese Zodiac origin stories, and personally my favorite. The Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Boar are the 12 animals of the Zodiac. As my colleague and friend Emma said, "I like the Chinese Zodiac, though the predictions can be sometimes misleading." This statement is quite true, because for example, as I am the year of the Ox, the Zodiac says that I am modest, which is completely outlandish, for I am anything but modest.
What are the uses of the Chinese Zodiac? "The Zodiac was originally combined with the 12 signs of the calendar to figure out times and dates. Back then, there wasn't any animals associated with astrology, and astrology wasn't used for fortune telling. No one knows why or how these particular animals were added to the Zodiac."
(quoted [or rather, paraphrased] from Natsuki Takaya.)
This year (2010) is the Year of the Tiger. And what does this mean? It means, that anyone born this year will be daring, powerful, sincere, unpredictable, affectionate, generous, colorful, passionate, impulsive, and rebellious. The Tiger although, can sometimes be restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, selfish, aggressive, unpredictable and moody. (Wikipedia.com)
"I think the Chinese Zodiac is awesome, because cows are in the Zodiac and I love cows. Dragons are pretty cool too, and I love the stories about the Zodiac. (Stop talking!! I'm quoting for Meghan!! Include that, Meghan.)" Says Georgia, with her opinion on the Chinese Zodiac. When I asked my acquaintance, Riley, on her opinion on the Zodiac, she simply just said "No." and that was the end of that.
In conclusion, even though this essay is undeniably dull and boring, and I apologize for that, The Chinese Zodiac is an fascinating topic, and it was such a pleasure studying it. The Chinese Zodiac rocks. And that is that.