The Chinese zodiac is associated with a repeating 12-year cycle, each year linked to a particular animal. Every Chinese person knows which year he or she belongs to and can tell you the strengths and weaknesses of people according to the animal sign of the year of their birth. In addition, the year itself is thought to be influenced by the animal of the moment. For example, tiger year is exciting, dragon year is demanding.
The animal zodiac is much consulted when marriages are arranged .modern thinkers may dismiss horoscopes and see them simply as remnants of the superstition past. But many Chinese still believe firmly in fact, and in the need to reconcile astrological influences when choosing a husband or wife. There are 12 animals: rat ,ox ,tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig.
The animal signs also serve a useful social function for finding out people's ages. Instead of asking directly how old a person is, people often ask what is his or her animal sign. This would place that person's age within a cycle of 12 years, and with a bit of common sense, we can deduce the exact age. More often, though, people ask for animal signs not to compute a person's exact numerical age, but to simply know who is older among friends and acquaintances.
