0311 May the Horse Be With You

This Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

In Japan and China and Korea and Mongolia, when someone asks you what year you were born they aren’t asking for an answer like, for example, 1951, they’re asking for an animal, more specifically, one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. And they are, in order of appearance: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The Year of the Horse begins on January 31st, 2014. Each animal returns on a 12 year cycle. So every time you turn a multiple of 12, it’s your animal year. A little shaky on those multiples of twelve? Let’s review: if you turn 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108 next year, may the horse be with you.

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.

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