(Posted 1/28/2003)
Year 2003 is a Chinese Black Sheep (Black Goat, Black Ram) Year. Why do the Chinese name year 2003 as the Black Sheep Year? Chinese calendar uses the Stem-Branch system to count the days, months and years.
There are 10 Stems and 12 Branches in this system. Stems are named by the Yin-Yang and Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth). The Stem sequence order is Yin-Yang Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, Yang Earth, Yin Earth, Yang Metal, Yin Metal, Yang Water and Yin Water. Branches use the animal names.
The Branch sequence order is Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Hen, Dog, Hog Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig.
Stem and Branch are used together to form a cycle of 60 counting systems which begin from Wooden Rat Male and end with Water Pig Water. From Year 1924 to Year 1983 is a complete cycle. Year 2003 is Female Water Sheep, the 20th of the Stem-Branch in the system. Because Water is equivalent to color Black in the Five-Element system, Year 2003 is also called Black Sheep year. Snake (2001), Horse (2002) and Sheep (2003) are the cycle of Fire years. The Sheep is the ending year of the cycle. Sheep contains Fire, Earth and Wood elements.
The year of Sheep will carry the old business from the Horse year, then face the new business from the Earth element. In the end period of Sheep year is the precursor of next Metal cycle. That means 2003 is a turning point year for many people.
Read more about the Year of the Sheep at
http://www.chineseastrologyonline.com/2003.htm
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