The lunar calendar on which the Chinese zodiac depends is even older, with origins in the Zhou dynasty, which ruled parts of China for nearly 800 years until its final defeat in 222 B.C., toward the end of the Warring States period. and second century A.D.-and became popular as birth year indicators in subsequent centuries. The exact origins of the Chinese zodiac are unknown, but associations between animals and years developed were codified during the Han Dynasty-sometime between the second century B.C. Instead, the repeating 12-year cycle-rotating through Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig-is based in ancient astronomical observations of Jupiter's approximately 12-year orbit of the sun. The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animals, which do not equate to specific constellations, as in the Western astrological tradition. 2020 is the Year of the Rat, inaugurating a new 12-year cycle in the Chinese zodiac, beginning on Saturday, January 25-the Lunar New Year.
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