Zodiac and Time

                      Zodiac and Time

It is also said that this order of the zodiac originated in the Han Dynasty (206 - 220) according to the 12 time periods of a day:

The first period is from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the time rats actively seek food.

The second one is from 1 to 3 a.m., a time that oxen regurgitate;

From 3 to 5 a.m. tigers hunt prey and display their fiercest nature;

From 5 to 7 a.m., based on tales, the jade rabbit on the moon was busy pounding medicinal herb with a pestle;

From 7 to 9 a.m. dragons were said to hover in the sky to give people rainfall;

From 9 to 11 a.m. snakes start to leave their burrows;

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the day is flourishing, as vigorous as an unconstrained horse;

From 1 to 3 p.m. it was said that if sheep ate grass at this time, they would grow stronger;

From 3 to 5 p.m. monkeys become lively;

From 5 to 7 p.m. roosters return to their roost as it is dark;

From 7 to 9 p.m. dogs begin to carry out their duty to guard entrances;

From 9 to 11 p.m. all is quiet and pigs are sleeping soundly.

          For a long time there has been a special relationship between

humans and the 12 zodiacal animals. Humans admired them, took them as totems, and in the artistic field, those animal signs were among the features of those themes. This can be reflected in artisans' paper-cut works, New-Year pictures, pottery and bronze wares, especially on the bronze mirrors before the appearance of glass ones, on which elaborate forms showed creativity and passion as well as wishes for a good life.