Chinese astrology

The Thai Zodiac does not differ from the Chinese zodiac. Ruiz was officially disqualified, and the winner was proclaimed to be Canadian Jacqueline Gareau. Names of years. A subsequent investigation concluded (though Ruiz never admitted to cheating) that Ruiz had skipped most of the race and blended into the crowd about one mile from the finish line, where she then ran to her apparent victory. Following is the Hunnish or Turkic Bulgarian Pagan zodiac calendar, distinctive from the Greek zodiac but much in conformity with the Chinese one: Kam-Boyan Calendar. Marathon officials became suspicious when it was found Ruiz didn't appear in race videotapes until near the end of the race. This common Chinese-Turkic Zodiac was in use in Balkan Bulgaria well into the Bulgars' adoption of Slavic language and Orthodox Christianity. Scandal came to the Boston Marathon in 1980 when amateur runner Rosie Ruiz came from out of nowhere to win the women's race.

The European Huns used the Chinese Zodiac complete with "dragon", "pig". She finished although Boston Marathon officials tried to forcibly remove her from the race. For example, the Vietnamese zodiac is identical to Chinese zodiac except the fourth animal is the cat not the rabbit, while the Japanese zodiac includes the wild boar instead of the pig. In 1967, Katherine Switzer, who had registered as "K Switzer", was the first woman to run with a race number. However, some of the animals in the Zodiac may differ by country. In 1966, Roberta Gibb was the first woman to inofficially run the Boston Marathon. The Chinese zodiac is also used in some other Asian countries that have been under the cultural influence of China. Women were not allowed to enter the Boston Marathon until 1972.

Those who are serious about the fortune telling aspect of the signs can consult a table, such as the one above. The first cash prize for winning the marathon was awarded in 1986. However, those unfamiliar with the use of the Chinese lunar calendar usually just assume that the signs switch over on Jan 1 of each year. However, corporate-sponsored cash prizes began to be awarded in the 1980s, when professional athletes began to refuse to run the race without cash awards. The United States Postal Service and those of several other countries issue a "Year of the _____" postage stamp each year to honor this Chinese heritage. For most of its history, the Boston Marathon was a free event, and the only prize awarded for winning the race was a wreath woven from olive branches. For one example, they usually appear on Japanese New Year's cards and stamps. In recent years, critics of America's professional sports leagues have pointed to the dominance of foreign-born atheletes in the event (especially runners from Kenya) to back their arguments that American professional running is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of producing quality atheletes.

The Chinese zodiac signs are also used by cultures other than Chinese. The Boston Marathon was originally a local event, but its fame and status has attracted runners from all over the world. (See Chinese calendar). When the game ends, the crowd empties into Kenmore Square to cheer as the runners near the 25 mile (40 km) marker. There are some newer astrological texts which follow the Chinese Agricultural Calendar (the jie qi), and thus place the changeover of zodiac signs at the solar term li chun (beginning of Spring), at solar longitude 315 degrees. Every year, the Boston Red Sox play a home game at Fenway Park, starting at 11:05 a.m. Many online sign calculators (such as [2]) will give a person the wrong sign if he/she was born in January or early February. The crowds are even more encouraging for the amateur runners and neophytes taking part in the Marathon for the first time.

The start of a new Zodiac is also celebrated on Chinese New Year along with many other customs. Along the entire 42.195 km - 26.2 mile stretch of the race, thousands of fans and well-wishers line up along the sides of the race course to cheer the runners on, encourage them, and provide free water and snacks to any and all of the runners. For example, 1990 was the year of the horse, but anyone born from January 1 to January 26, 1990 was born in the Year of the Snake (the sign of the previous year), because the 1990 Year of the Horse began on January 27, 1990. The local residents gladly welcome the Marathon participants with open arms, and they do their best to provide a supportive, encouraging, friendly atmosphere for the race itself. Therefore, a person who was born in January or early February may have the sign of the previous year. Massachusetts residents are proud of the Marathon, and a yearly tradition among the towns lining the race course has emerged. Since the (traditional) Chinese zodiac follows the (lunisolar) Chinese calendar, the switch over date for the zodiac signs is the Chinese New Year, not January 1 as in the Gregorian calendar. The race's organizers keep a standard time clock for all entries, though official timekeeping ceases after the six hour mark.

Interestingly, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese Zodiac, in place of the rabbit (see below). Ironically, the course is now considered invalid for international records because the finish is substantially lower in elevation than the start. The Boar, at a loss, proceeded to claim that the meat on its bones 'tasted good.' This explanation was apparently considered unsatisfactory, because the Boar was placed at the very end of the Zodiac. In 1975, the women's world record was set in Boston at 2:42:24. In yet another variation, each animal was called before its peers and had to explain why it deserved a position at the top of the Zodiac. The record time then was 2:25:39, by Yun Bok Suh of South Korea. This format is rather like the one that the National Football League uses to determine its playoff teams (six from each conference). Only once has a world record time for marathon running been set in Boston, in 1947.

The first involved all the animals, in two divisions to avoid the fast animals dominating the top, and the top six in each division would "make the cut" for a second round, which would then determine the order of placement of the animals in the zodiac. The Boston Marathon is considered to be one of the more difficult marathon courses because of the infamous Newton, Massachusetts hills along Commonwealth Avenue, which culminate in Heartbreak Hill near Boston College. Yet another variation tells of two different races. The course runs through 26.2 miles (42.195 km) of winding roads, into the center of Boston, where the official finish line is located at Copley Square, just beyond the Boston Public Library. The route ran through a forest, over ranges of plains and grasslands, and along a stream, before finally crossing a lake to the destination town. The race begins at noon (wheelchair race begins at 11:45 AM, and the elite women at 11:31 AM) at the official starting point in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Another version of the tale expands the race. Prospective runners in the peak age range of 18-34 must run a time of no more than 3:10:00 (3 hours and 10 minutes) if male (approximately 0:7:15 per mile), or 3:40:00 if female (approximately 0:8:24 seconds per mile); the qualifying time is adjusted upward as age increases.

The trade was acceptable because both animals are members of the family of bovines. To qualify, a runner must first complete a standard marathon course certified by USA Track and Field (or, if outside the U.S., a course certified by a foreign athletic authority equivalent to USATF) within a certain period of time before the date of the desired Boston Marathon (usually within approximately 18 months prior). Some versions of the tale say that the cattle nominated a water buffalo to represent them because he was more proficient at water. The Boston Marathon is open to all runners, male and female, from any nation, but they must meet certain qualifying standards. Another popular legend has it that a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade Emperor:. . All the animals who arrived on the night were granted a special place as a zodiac animal - the cat arrived the next day only to find out that the banquet was over. Indeed, the qualifying standard is high enough that many marathoners aspire to meet it, and doing so is considered an achievement in itself.

A variation of this describes the Jade Emperor holding a great banquet in his palace; the cat does not hear the initial announcement so the rat tells him that there is going to be a royal party but instead tells him it is on the day after the actual date. While there is a cash prize awarded to the winners of the marathon, most of the runners take part in the historical marathon just for the joy of participating in such a prestigious race. One of the most popular reads, in summarized form, as follows:. In the 100^th running of the Boston Marathon in 1996, the number of participants reached 38,000. There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac (see Origins of the Chinese Zodiac). The event attracts an average of about 20,000 registered participants each year. The 12 Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Professional runners from all over of the world compete in the Boston Marathon each year, braving the hilly New England terrain and unpredictable weather to take part in the race.

The following hours are in Beijing local time (UTC+8). Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, it has become one of the oldest and most popular professional marathon races in the world. (24 divided by 12 animals) The large hour a person is born is their secretive animal as stated above. The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event hosted by the city of Boston, Massachusetts on Patriot's Day, the third Monday of April. The Chinese zodiac is also used to label times of day, with each sign corresponding to a "large-hour" or shichen (時辰), which is a two-hour period. The month born affects a person's inner animal, as stated above.

The Twelve animals also apply to the lunar months. Many western displays of the chinese zodiac omit these, as well as the elements, for easier consumption and understanding. These are said to be critical for the proper use of chinese astrology. It is important to compensate for daylight savings or any clock adjustment performed by your country as it is mapped according to the sun's location and not the local time.

The secret animal is determined by exact time of birth and is your own true sign with your personality is based in. It may be considered what the individual wishes to become, or believes to be their true self. This dictates your own love life and inner persona and is critical to understand and know to properly calculate compatibility with other signs. Combined with 5 elements makes for 8640 combinations (5 elements, 12 animals, 12 months, 12 times of day) The inner animal is assigned by the month of birth.

These yearly cycles represent what others perceive you as being, while a person might appear to be a Dragon they might actually be a Snake internally and an Ox secretively. It is common misconception that there are only the singular animal assigned by year. Each year in the 60 year cycle contains twelve animals, each with five possible elements, which distinctively vary the base animal's personality which equals to 60 possible combinations. This is where many Chinese Astrology descriptions in western society draw solely from.

Each individual personality is associated with an animal which represents it. (Notice the title "Green (Wooden) Chicken Year".). See [1]. Some websites denote the years by the colour and zodiac sign (as opposed to animal sign and element).

The traditional correspondences are green to Wood, red to Fire, brown to Earth, white to Metal, and black to Water. The elements are also associated with colours. It can lend qualities to all 12 animals as well. Additionally there is Earth which does not govern over any animals and is the central balance of all elements.

Pig , Rooster, Dog. 'Governs'. Dragon, Horse, Goat. 'Governs'.

Tiger, Hare, Snake. 'Governs'. Rat, Ox, Monkey. 'Governs'.

Divided into 4 groups. Each of the 12 animals are governed by an element plus a Yin Yang Direction. Each element has features that apply to both years and the animals. These are modifiers and affect the characteristics of each of the 12 signs.

The Yin or Yang is broken down into Five Elements ( Water, Wood, Fire, Metal (Gold), Earth) on top of the cycle of animals. The current cycle began in the year 1984. This combination creates a 60-year cycle, starting with Wood Rat and ending with Water Pig. Since the zodiac animal cycle of 12 is divisible by two, every zodiac can only occur in either yin or yang: the dragon is always yang, the snake is always yin, etc.

Even years are yang, odd years are yin. There is a binary Yin Yang cycle, which enlarges the 5 element cycle to a cycle of ten (seen below). See Qi Xi for more versions of this story. The tai bai fairy acts as the chaperone of these two immortal lovers.

The cowherd carries their two sons (the two stars on each side of Altair) across the bridge to reunite with their fairy mother. Each year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, the birds form a bridge across the Milky Way. The two forbidden lovers were separated by the silvery river (the Milky Way). For example, the Summer Triangle is the trio of the cowherd (Altair), the weaving maiden fairy (Vega) and the "tai bai" fairy (Deneb).

In addition to astrological readings of the heavenly bodies, the stars in the sky form the basis of many fairy tales. Xuan Wu is also known as the spirit of the northern sky or the spirit of Water in Taoism belief. The seven northern constellations are referred to as xúanwǔ (玄武). For example, the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is known as 斗 dǒu; the belt of Orion is known as 參 shen, or the "Happiness, Fortune, Longevity" trio of demigods.

The twenty-eight Chinese constellations (宿 xìu) are quite different from the eighty-eight Western constellations. A laborious system of computing one's fate and destiny based on one's birthday and birth hours (known as 紫微斗數 zǐwēidǒushù) is still used regularly in modern day Chinese astrology to divine one's fortune. It is said that the position of these planets, along with the positions of the Sun, Moon, any comets in the sky as well as time of birth and Zodiac Sign can determine a person's destiny according to Chinese Astrology. The ancient Chinese astronomers called the five major planets by the names of the element they were associated with: Venus corresponds to Metal (gold); Jupiter to Wood; Mercury to Water; Mars to Fire; Saturn to Earth.

. This fortune-telling system is derived from the principle characteristics of the system: the Zodiac, the five elements of Chinese thought, calendrical cycles based on astronomy, and ancient Chinese religion. Chinese astrology is the divination of the future from the Chinese calendar, particularly its 12-year cycle of animals, referred to as the Chinese Zodiac. Shushma - Boar (Türk, Russ "Kaban" - Translator's Note).

It - Dog. Taguk - Rooster, Hen. Bichin, Michin - Monkey. Téké - Goat (Sheep).

Tuki (Tykha) - Horse. Dilan - Snake. Samar - Dragon Birgün (Bergen, Birig, Baradj)- Dragon. Taushan - Hare.

Ügur - Tiger Myachè Ügur - Tiger. Kuman (Imén). Shiger (Syger) - Artom (Taurus). Kuzgé - [Year of] Saravana.

21:00 - 23:00: pig. 19:00 - 21:00: dog. 17:00 - 19:00: rooster. 15:00 - 17:00: monkey.

13:00 - 15:00: goat. 11:00 - 13:00: horse. 09:00 - 11:00: snake. 07:00 - 09:00: dragon.

05:00 - 07:00: rabbit. 03:00 - 05:00: tiger. 01:00 - 03:00: ox. 23:00 - 01:00: rat.

pig (or boar). dog. rooster. monkey.

goat (or sheep). horse. snake. dragon.

rabbit (or hare). tiger. ox. rat.

Reliability. Foundations. Balance. The Centre.

Strong. Dependable. Useful. The West.

Movement. Intelligence. Passion. The South.

Growth. Nurturing. Creativity. The East.

Sensitivity. Intuition. Communication. The North.