12 Chinese Zodiac Signs: Origins, Differences, and Similarities Across Cultures
The story of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs
The beginning of chaos, when the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were just established, the Jade Emperor ordered all animals from all over the world to select twelve zodiac animals according to the twelve earthly branches of Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai. 子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戌、亥
He decided to organize an animal race: all animals were welcome to participate in the race across the river, and the first twelve animals to reach the finish line could become the twelve zodiac animals.
The rat was the first to arrive followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster (cock), dog, and finally the pig.
The differences between the Chinese zodiac and another country.
1. Vietnam
Vietnamese culture has the same origin as Chinese culture, and their customs are also very similar. Vietnam has 12 zodiac animals which are almost the same as China. There are also 12 animals, corresponding to the 12 earthly branches. Only one of the twelve zodiac signs used by the Vietnamese is different from the Chinese. There is no rabbit in Vietnam, but there are cats. The Chinese Year of the Rabbit has become the Year of the Cat in Vietnam: (rat, ox, tiger, cat, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs, pigs).
2. Cambodia
Although not adjacent to China, Cambodia's twelve zodiac animals are completely similar to China's. Especially in some areas in Cambodia, the sea snake neak (the Cham version of naga) replaces the position of the dragon.
3. Myanmar
The zodiac signs here are different from those in China. The Burmese people determine their zodiac sign according to the day of the week on which they were born, either by year or by the number of weeks. The number is reduced from 12 to 8 (double-tusked elephant, tuskless elephant, mouse, guinea pig, dragon, bird).
4. Malaysia
Similarly, the Malay version of the twelve zodiac animals is similar to the Chinese but replaces the rabbit with a mousedeer (Pelanduk) and the pig with a tortoise (Kura).
The dragon and snake are referred to as the Large snake and the Second snake respectively.
5. Thailand
In contemporary Thai culture, the country's twelve zodiac system is similar to China's, with the only difference being that this Thai system does not feature the dragon but instead the naga. In Thai mythology, a naga is a dragon-like reptile with supernatural abilities. Particularly, in some regions of Thailand, the twelve zodiac animals use elephants instead of pigs.
6. Japan
The Japanese zodiac signs are basically the same as the Chinese ones but replace the pig with boar (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, boar).
7. South Korea
Korea has a lunar calendar, which is exactly the same as China. It was passed down from China in ancient times, and the twelve zodiac signs are also the same. Therefore, like China, the Spring Festival is the biggest festival of the year, symbolizing the beginning.
8. Western
In Western astrology, the zodiac is divided into the following twelve signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.