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CHINESE Astrology I G E

CHINESE Astrology I G E R E T T H 1926 T H E 1938 1950 O X 1925 1962 1937 1974 1949 1986 1961 1998 1973 2010 T H E R A T 1924 1985 1936 1997 1948 2009 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 I T 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 1927 1939 R A B B 2012 T H E 2000 A G O N 1928 D R 1940 1952 T H E 1964 E 1929 1941 1953 E S N A K 1965 1977 1989 T H 1976 1988 2001 2013 Celebrate the year of the rooster in 2017 84 VIKINGCRUISES.COM | EXPLORE MORE 2017

CHINESE ASTROLOGY Believed to be the oldest horoscope system in the world, the ancient Eastern system of Chinese astrology is based on a lunar cycle that is completed every 12 years 2014 2002 1990 1978 1966 T H E P 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 1954 1942 1930 E H O R S 2015 2003 1991 I G 2017 2005 2016 1979 T H E 1993 2004 1967 1981 1992 1955 1969 1980 1943 T H E 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 1957 1968 1931 A T 1945 1956 D O G G O 1933 1944 T H E T H E 1932 R O O S T E R T H E M O N K E Y The 12 animal signs found in the Chinese horoscope are similar to Western astrological signs. However, instead of monthly symbols, your animal sign is determined by the year you were born—the year starts with the Chinese New Year, which fluctuates somewhere between mid- January and mid-February, depending on the lunar cycle. These annual signs are then modified by the five elements of metal, water, wood, fire and earth, which correspond to the specific year of your birth, to bring more subtlety to the archetypes that are represented by the animals. There are many myths surrounding the naming and order of the animals. One myth comes from a story of Buddha. Before leaving this world, Buddha decided to have a grand feast and invited all the animal kingdom, but only 12 animals showed up for the occasion. The first to arrive was the rat, followed by the ox and so forth, determining the order that is now the Chinese zodiac: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and finally the pig. Chinese astrology has its roots in the philosophies of Lao Tzu and Confucius. This wisdom was passed down orally until it was distilled into written form in the I Ching, also known as the Book of Changes. The system is grounded in these ancient philosophies and the concept of yin and yang balance in the universe EXPLORE MORE 2017 | VIKINGCRUISES.COM 85