Sunday 26 January 2020

The Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese Zodiac is based on a twelve year cycle, with each animal representing a lunar year. The order in which the animals appear are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. It is believed that people born in a given year have the personality of that year’s animal.

2020 is the Year of the Rat!

Curious to know what is your Zodiac animal and what it represents? Have a look at the chart below.

Rat
1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
Quick-witted, resourceful, versatile, kind

Ox
1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
Diligent, dependable, strong, determined

Tiger
1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
Brave, confident, competitive

Rabbit
1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
Quiet, elegant, kind, responsible

Dragon
1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
Confident, intelligent, enthusiastic

Snake
1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
Enigmatic, intelligent, wise

Horse
1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
Animated, active, energetic

Goat
1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
Calm, gentle, sympathetic

Monkey
1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
Sharp, smart, curiosity

Rooster
1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
Observant, hardworking, courageous

Dog
1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
Lovely, honest, prudent

Pig
1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
Compassionate, generous, diligent

Myths and legends abound as to how these animals were decided. However, one website states that the twelve animals were chosen deliberately, after many revisions. The zodiac animals are either closely related to ancient Chinese people’s daily lives, or have lucky meanings.

Here are the twelve animals, displayed in the Flower dome of the Gardens by the Bay.

Since it is the Year of the Rat, the rat gets a little more attention. This three-metre-tall rat made from exquisite floral arrangements of plants with yellow and golden hue welcomes spring, and wishes one and all, best wishes for the new year!

The Ox is next in line. Next year will be the year of the Ox

The Tiger

The Rabbit

The Dragon

The Snake

The Horse

The Goat

The Monkey

The Rooster

The Dog

The Pig

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