According to the Eastern calendar, one of twelve animals becomes the symbol of each year. These include the dragon. Why these animals were chosen is still a mystery. Only legends have reached modern people.
Instruction manual
1
This tradition came from China, so it is not surprising that one place in the calendar was given to the dragon. This mythical creature in ancient China symbolized wisdom, justice, generosity, strength and power. It was believed that the first Chinese emperors were dragons, and much later, their direct descendants from the human race began to inherit the throne.
2
One of the two legends common to all animals of the eastern calendar is the legend about the Buddha’s birthday. According to her, the Buddha invited all the animals, but only twelve wished to come. To get into the house, the animals had to cross the river, the dragon came in fifth, so he got fifth place. Most likely the river symbolized time. The animal swam across the river - a year passed.
3
According to another version, the dragon became a symbol of the year due to its unusual appearance. Emperor Yu-di or the Jade Emperor wished to see the twelve most beautiful animals at a reception. Each animal received an invitation and, depending on the time of its appearance in the palace, began to symbolize one year from the twelve-year cycle. The dragon appeared fifth in the palace, and therefore he was given fifth place in the Chinese calendar.
4
Each animal in the Chinese calendar symbolized some traits of a human character or virtue. It is possible that it was by the significance of these traits that 12 animals were distributed. Moreover, the "cycle of 12" is valid not only within 12 years, but also for one day. A person born in a given period of time absorbs all the features of the animal in which hour he was born. "Dragon Hour" is the time from 7 to 9 in the morning.
5
The dragon can be found in many eastern cultures. In some it is a kind of huge winged creature, in others it has no wings. In Indian myths there is a creature Nag, it absorbs the features of a snake and a dragon, symbolizes wisdom and justice. This creature looks like a half-snake-man. Interestingly, dragons in different cultures were perceived differently. In Slavic mythology, they were treated as an all-consuming evil, in European myths dragons could be both on the side of good and on the side of evil. But, most often, these characters of ancient legends were still treated with respect.
