While the Jewish New Year focuses on spiritual renewal, China's calendar assigns each year its own animal symbol, and 2027 will be the Year of the Goat. Here's the ancient astronomy and mythology behind the practice
The Gregorian calendar marks years with numbers alone, but in the Far East, each year receives a portrait, a character, and a representative animal. The upcoming year 2027 will be the Year of the Goat in the Chinese calendar (known in Chinese as Yáng and marked 羊 — a word that can also be interpreted as sheep or ram).
How did the Chinese zodiac wheel become a full safari of twelve animals, and why does a year need an animal to represent it at all?
The use of animals to mark years is based on a fascinating combination of ancient Chinese wisdom, practical necessity, and rich mythology. In ancient times, most of China's population was illiterate. The official governmental system for counting years (the "Earthly Branches") was too cumbersome and complex for the common person. To solve this, authorities assigned a familiar animal to each year in a twelve-year cycle. This way, even illiterate villagers could easily remember which year they were born, how old they were, and when each holiday fell.
The twelve-year cycle is no coincidence. It's based on the orbit of Jupiter (Sui Xing in Chinese), which circles the sun in approximately 11.86 years. Ancient Chinese astronomers rounded the number to twelve years, divided the heavens into twelve sections, and each section would eventually be represented by a different animal.
Ancient Chinese mythology tells of the "Great Race": the Jade Emperor (ruler of the heavens) invited all animals to a river-crossing race, promising that the first twelve to arrive would have a year named after them. The cunning rat arrived first, the angry ox second, and the goat, which displayed teamwork and creativity, arrived in the honored eighth place.
In Chinese astrology, the goat brings energy of calm, harmony, creativity, and healing. While years of fierce animals like the dragon or the so-called "Fire Horse" (representing the current year 2026) are characterized by a fast and turbulent pace, the Year of the Goat is considered a period of gathering, stabilizing systems, art, and social compassion.
While Chinese culture attributes direct influence to the animal's characteristics on those born in that year and on world events, Judaism takes a completely different approach.
The Sages of Israel did not deny the existence of astronomical influences in nature, but took a clear position that "ein mazal l'Yisrael", there is no zodiac fate for Israel (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat). Jewish law forbids basing actions, decisions, or future predictions on astrology and the practices of the nations, due to the prohibition of "lo te'onenu" (against divination and predicting seasonal times as favorable periods for life changes) and the Torah commandment "tamim tihiyeh im Hashem Elokecha", be wholehearted with the Lord your God.
According to Judaism's worldview, the decree or fate of each person is not absolute, due to belief in free will and the famous statement from the High Holiday prayers that declares that prayer, repentance, and good deeds can change any destiny and rise above any system of stars or periodic animal as a symbol for a new civil year.
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