The Chinese animal symbols for zodiac signs are something which we know already. The New Year celebrations highlight this fact to a great extent and explain how they are part of the Chinese culture.
The Chinese people believe that their zodiac symbolism is scientifically confirmed. But as you get to know the legends behind these signs you may not feel the same way. However the theory of drawing a parallel between human nature and zodiac animals' behavior by the ancient philosophers is a cause of interest for many.
The Chinese used to follow a intricate calendar system prior to adopting the zodiac symbols to represent the 12 cycles. The initial system was too difficult for the masses to understand and was hence replaced by the system that gives us the 12 animals in their cyclic order.
Each New Year is attributed to an animal. The year of the same animal comes back after every twelve years. People born in the year of a particular animal are believed to have the qualities of that animal. Keep in mind these character sketches have been drawn by Chinese thinkers which may or may not capture the essence of the animal's behavior or their connection with human behavior.
The animal which represents a particular year has a lot of importance during New Year celebration. A number of activities are done to show it. They make it apparent to the people that this is the year of say ox by making ox puppets for the parade or dressing up like the animal of the for live performance.
You will also be able to find a wide range of decoration items taking up the animal of the year as the main subject. Such art work is widely available in every store and even on stalls on the streets. Many people wear the animal of the year on their T-shirts that feature the animal in some form of artistic expression. Similarly there are many other fashion accessories that revolve around the animal of the year and are very popular during the Chinese New Year season.
The New Year animals have now acquired a new interest outside China and are gradually becoming known to the world in general. The non Chinese are truly intrigued by the concept of animal representing a human and want to know the source and which animal year they belong to. Also they are interested in finding out if their characteristics match with that of the animals. That is why Chinese are taking trouble to popularize their animal theme during New Year.
For the western world the zodiac animal symbols from China are amusing. The Chinese themselves have little belief in the validity of the character evaluation done between the animals and humans. The importance of animal symbols is limited to the New Year festival celebration and something which are a source of amazement to the people.
When you consider the famous origins of the innovation of the concept of the twelve animals the story becomes even clearer. Basically the New Year zodiac animals are a figment of someone's imagination that has found currency over the centuries and has become a major part of the Chinese culture.
The Chinese people believe that their zodiac symbolism is scientifically confirmed. But as you get to know the legends behind these signs you may not feel the same way. However the theory of drawing a parallel between human nature and zodiac animals' behavior by the ancient philosophers is a cause of interest for many.
The Chinese used to follow a intricate calendar system prior to adopting the zodiac symbols to represent the 12 cycles. The initial system was too difficult for the masses to understand and was hence replaced by the system that gives us the 12 animals in their cyclic order.
Each New Year is attributed to an animal. The year of the same animal comes back after every twelve years. People born in the year of a particular animal are believed to have the qualities of that animal. Keep in mind these character sketches have been drawn by Chinese thinkers which may or may not capture the essence of the animal's behavior or their connection with human behavior.
The animal which represents a particular year has a lot of importance during New Year celebration. A number of activities are done to show it. They make it apparent to the people that this is the year of say ox by making ox puppets for the parade or dressing up like the animal of the for live performance.
You will also be able to find a wide range of decoration items taking up the animal of the year as the main subject. Such art work is widely available in every store and even on stalls on the streets. Many people wear the animal of the year on their T-shirts that feature the animal in some form of artistic expression. Similarly there are many other fashion accessories that revolve around the animal of the year and are very popular during the Chinese New Year season.
The New Year animals have now acquired a new interest outside China and are gradually becoming known to the world in general. The non Chinese are truly intrigued by the concept of animal representing a human and want to know the source and which animal year they belong to. Also they are interested in finding out if their characteristics match with that of the animals. That is why Chinese are taking trouble to popularize their animal theme during New Year.
For the western world the zodiac animal symbols from China are amusing. The Chinese themselves have little belief in the validity of the character evaluation done between the animals and humans. The importance of animal symbols is limited to the New Year festival celebration and something which are a source of amazement to the people.
When you consider the famous origins of the innovation of the concept of the twelve animals the story becomes even clearer. Basically the New Year zodiac animals are a figment of someone's imagination that has found currency over the centuries and has become a major part of the Chinese culture.
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The Chinese zodiac is a fascinating subject with many facets. To learn more about Chinese new year public parades please click on the links.
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