Well, let me tell you about this lunar new year zodiac calendar thingy. It ain’t as simple as lookin’ at the regular calendar, ya know.
Them Chinese folks, they got this whole other way of figurin’ out the years. They use animals, yeah, animals! Like, uh, a rat, a cow… no, they call it an Ox, a tiger, a rabbit… you know, the fluffy kind, and some kinda scary dragon thing, a snake, a horse, a goat… or is it a sheep? Anyway, a monkey, a rooster, a dog, and a pig. See, lots of ’em.
They got twelve of ’em, and each year gets a name from one of them animals. It goes in a circle, like, rat first, then the Ox, then the tiger, all the way down to the pig, and then it starts all over again with the rat. Every twelve years, it’s the same animal again. My old man used to say, “It’s the year of the pig, gotta eat good this year!”. He always said that, no matter what year it was.
So, if you wanna know your animal, you gotta look at this special calendar, the lunar one. It ain’t like our regular calendar, the one that starts in January. This lunar new year, it changes every year, somewhere in January or February, I think. Don’t rightly remember the exact date, always gotta ask my grandson to look it up.
And get this, to really know your moon sign, it ain’t just the year, it’s the day and the time you were born too! Just like them fancy folks figurin’ out those horoscopes, you know, the ones in the newspaper. They gotta know the exact minute you popped out! Sounded like a whole lot of fuss to me, but my daughter-in-law, she’s all into that stuff. She always say “Mom, you’re a tiger!”. Humph, tiger indeed. I’m more like an old hen, clucking around the house all day.
To figure out your animal, you can find one of them lunar calendars. They got ’em online now, my grandson showed me. You just punch in your birthday, the day you were born, and it tells you which animal you are. It’s pretty neat, I guess, though I still don’t quite get it.
- Rat: Them rats, they’re clever, always gettin’ into things.
- Ox: Strong and steady, like my old mule, bless his soul.
- Tiger: Fierce and brave, though I ain’t never seen one in real life.
- Rabbit: Soft and quiet, like them little bunnies in the garden.
- Dragon: Now that’s just a made-up thing, ain’t it? But they say it’s powerful.
- Snake: Sneaky and slithery, don’t much like them.
- Horse: Fast and strong, good for pullin’ a cart.
- Goat/Sheep: Gentle and calm, just like my Mary when she was little.
- Monkey: Playful and mischievous, always gettin’ into trouble.
- Rooster: Loud and proud, wakes you up in the mornin’.
- Dog: Loyal and friendly, always happy to see ya.
- Pig: Well, they’re just pigs, ain’t they? Good for eatin’, I guess.
So, this lunar new year calendar, it’s all about these animals. And each animal, they say it tells you somethin’ about yourself. I don’t know about all that, but it’s kinda fun to think about. This year… hmm… was it the rabbit? Or maybe the dragon? See, I told ya, I can’t keep up with it all! Gotta ask my grandson when he comes over. He knows all this stuff, kids these days, they learn everything from them phones.
Now, this lunar calendar, it don’t match up perfectly with our regular one. That’s why the new year changes dates every year. Confuses me somethin’ fierce, but what can ya do? Them Chinese folks, they been doin’ it this way for ages, so it must work for them. And like I said, the animals thing, it’s kind of fun, even if I don’t always remember which animal is which year.
So, if you’re curious about your Chinese zodiac animal, just go find one of them lunar calendars or use one of them online calculators. It’s easy enough, even for an old woman like me, once my grandson shows me how to do it! Just remember, it ain’t as simple as lookin’ at the regular calendar. You gotta consider the moon and all them animals. It’s a whole different way of thinkin’ about time, but hey, to each their own, I always say.
And if someone asks you, you can just say, “Oh, I’m a such and such,” and they’ll think you know a thing or two about this lunar stuff. Even if you don’t really get it, just smile and nod. That’s what I do!
Tags: [Lunar Calendar, Chinese Zodiac, New Year, Animals, Astrology, Lunar New Year]
