Abstract

The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac symbolize a repeating twelve-year cycle calendar used among Buddhists in various regions of East and Southeast Asia. The Republic of Buryatia is one of the three Buddhist regions of Russia. The Buryats profess Tibetan Buddhism of Gelug school, which spread through Mongolia in the seventeenth century. The article analyzes the system of ideas about twelve zodiac animals in the mass media of the Republic of Buryatia. Specifically, we studied the articles of the online news portal Inform Polis Online for twelve years, from 2011 to 2023. In total, ninety-six pieces were analyzed. As a result, we identified six thematic structures related to the animals of the lunar calendar in the media. The material considers the symbolic nature of zoomorphic images; visual representation of the images of zodiac animals in the urban landscape of Ulan-Ude, the capital of the republic; the specifics of integration of animal images into regional education and culture, etc. The analysis of the role of zoomorphic images and practices of their interpretation in the media space of Buryatia can enrich the debates on human-animal relationships from the perspective of Buryat Buddhist culture.