The 12 Zodiac Animals - The Years

The Chinese zodiac is one that has a 12 year cycle, having 12 different animals - one for each year. Those animals are as follows (linked to pages on Wikipedia for more information):

It is believed that the animal associated with the year that you're born in will affect you and your life and will also give you the personalities associated that particular animal.

The Inner Animals - The Months

This is an interesting concept of Chinese Astrology in that it is one that deals with a person's inner persona, movitivation and love life. The Inner Animals, which correspond to the months of the lunar year, are the same animals that are associated with the Chinese Zodiac. Each animal has a one month period to which it is associated and also corresponds to a particular season, or fixed element. This is important because it is said that the fixed element will impart some of its characteristics to the associated sign, or animal.

The Secret Animals - The Hours

This is a rather peculiar aspect of the Chinese Astrology. Based on the time of birth, it is said one is able to predict a person's sign with the greatest accuracy as the exact time is being measured. One needs to consult a table of data in order to determine the animal.

Chinese New Year