Lunar Light Festival
In today’s society, we are able to communicate with other people based on our zodiac sign. Is introduced as an ice breaker or the start of a conversation to learn more about the person’s personality and traits. In a similar sense, the Asian community also believes in different astrology that is known today as the Chinese Zodiac Signs which each year represents the lunar calendar and associates 12 animals and their attributes. The Zodiac Signs are repeating a twelve-year cycle; though the Western signs align with constellations, the Chinese Zodiacs do not due to them corresponding to years rather than months.
I have always been fascinated by the history and the folktale of the Chinese Zodiac signs; the story is told that the Jade Emperor selected several animals to be a part of a race in order to create a measuring time for the people. The first twelve animals who arrived would be the order of the lunar calendar. The story was so fascinating that for most of my childhood I learned the history and collected the zodiac animal figurines.
For my exhibit, I decided to create an event that will shed light on Asian Horoscopes. Lunar Lights Festival is a cultural celebration of the Chinese Zodiac signs where the community is able to learn about the zodiac animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig), its history, custom foods, and activities, and how each zodiac animal influences into your fate.
