Living tradition
Chinese zodiac
All East and Southeast Asia; the animal changes every Lunar New Year.
Twelve animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig) and five elements in a sixty-year cycle.
How it's done
- 01Find your lunar birth year (if born in January or February, check the New Year date).
- 02Add the year's element: wood, fire, earth, metal or water.
- 03Compare your animal with this year's.
With your own tools
Any lunar calendar will do; what matters is the element, which almost nobody checks.
With Ocluna
With your date I calculate your animal, element and polarity respecting each year's exact Lunar New Year, not January 1st.
Your reading
Master Li Wen does your Chinese zodiac reading
What Master Li Wen tells you
- Legend says the Jade Emperor held a race: the rat won by riding on the ox's back and jumping off at the finish; that is why it comes first.
- Dragon years cause a birth spike in China, Vietnam and Singapore: many families deliberately wait to have a dragon child.
- In Vietnam the fourth animal is not the rabbit but the cat, and in Thailand the dragon becomes a naga.
- The Chinese year does not start on January 1 but with the second new moon after the winter solstice, between January 21 and February 20.
- The Cat is not in the Chinese zodiac, but it is in the Vietnamese one, where it takes the place of the Rabbit.
This reading is symbolic self-knowledge and entertainment content based on folk traditions. It does not predict the future, is not medical, legal or financial advice, and does not replace qualified professionals.