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karadin.livejournal.comA little challenge if you'd care to take it up! Make a postcard sized image celebrating the New Year of the Snake and put it up in the com to share. We've had a few of these postcard challenges in the past, (if you'd care to look them up in tags)
The images can be put up anytime between now and the (Chinese) New Year. 10th of February.
"Eto (formally called Jikkan Junishi)" refers to the Chinese zodiac symbols. Unlike the Western Zodiac which is divided into 12 months, the Asian Zodiac is divided into 12 years. Each year is named after an animal: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. It is said to have been adopted in Japan in 604 during the reign of Empress Suiko.
According to Chinese legends, before Buddha departed from earth, only twelve animals came in their devotion to him. Buddha honored them by naming the years after them in the order arrived.
Every Japanese person knows what year of the zodiac they were born in. The Japanese are likely to ask what your zodiac sign is, instead of asking how old you are. In this way, you can guess a person's age without asking it directly!
Like the astrological zodiac there are all sorts of things which influence individual people. The Japanese believe that people who are born in the same animal year share similar personality and character. For example, people born in the year of the snake are profound thinkers and have tremendous wisdom.
For more on the Chinese aspects of the Black Water Snake go here: http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2013ChineseHoroscope.htm
What's your Asian Zodiac Symbol?
The images can be put up anytime between now and the (Chinese) New Year. 10th of February.
"Eto (formally called Jikkan Junishi)" refers to the Chinese zodiac symbols. Unlike the Western Zodiac which is divided into 12 months, the Asian Zodiac is divided into 12 years. Each year is named after an animal: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. It is said to have been adopted in Japan in 604 during the reign of Empress Suiko.
According to Chinese legends, before Buddha departed from earth, only twelve animals came in their devotion to him. Buddha honored them by naming the years after them in the order arrived.
Every Japanese person knows what year of the zodiac they were born in. The Japanese are likely to ask what your zodiac sign is, instead of asking how old you are. In this way, you can guess a person's age without asking it directly!
Like the astrological zodiac there are all sorts of things which influence individual people. The Japanese believe that people who are born in the same animal year share similar personality and character. For example, people born in the year of the snake are profound thinkers and have tremendous wisdom.
For more on the Chinese aspects of the Black Water Snake go here: http://www.chinesefortunecalendar.com/2013ChineseHoroscope.htm
What's your Asian Zodiac Symbol?
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