The Chinese Zodiac
Year of the Goat

Years of the Goat - 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

The goat (ram, sheep) presents an ambiguous sexual symbolism in many cultures of the world -- symbolizing one thing in terms of the male and another in terms of the female. The male associations are those of virility, lust and life force while the female associations center around fertility and nourishing care.

Some ancient Chinese peoples linked the she-goat with the lightning god, who used the skull of a sacrificed she-goat for his anvil. But the association is not a negative one. In a culture of farmers, this goat represented a conduit that ran from the heavens to the earth bringing blessings, especially blessings for herdsmen.

In the Chinese zodiac, people who are born in the Year of the Goat are very creative and artistic. Considered sympathetic to the extreme, Goat people can sometimes be too sensitive. Although they are considerate and tend to think before they act, they can also impose high requirements for attention on those who are closest to them. However, they are quick to rectify problems and, as a result, have a good social life and the handy ability to cope with the vicissitudes of life.

People born in the Year of the Goat are considered most compatible with people born in the Year of the Rabbit, Pig or Goat while they are least compatible with those born in the Year of the Ox.