It's the Year of the #Rat which is the first of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.
Can you recognize yourself in your sign? Do you know how they came to exist?
The Legend of the Great Race
Once upon a time, the mighty Jade Emperor decreed a great race to decide the years on the calendar. Each year would be named in the order of the animal’s place in the race. The results of the race were to be decided with a swim across the river.
Naturally, Cat and Rat weren’t too excited to hear this, as they were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. However, they brilliantly came up with the idea to ask the kind Ox for a ride on his back. Sweet-hearted Ox agreed, and off they went. However, midway across the river, Rat pushed Cat into the water. Then as Ox neared the other side of the river, Rat jumped ahead of him to the finish line, claiming first place for himself at the expense of the others.
Ox good-naturedly took second place, followed by powerful Tiger, who pulled himself out of the river, exhausted and dripping, explaining to the Jade Emperor how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. However, he had overcome this with his incredible strength, making him third.
Tiger was followed by the clever Rabbit, who had crossed the river by leaping from stone to stone. He had almost fallen into the river, but his luck prevailed, and he had been able to grab a floating log that later washed him to shore. So, the Rabbit finished in fourth place.
Dragon arrived next, making it fifth in the race. Of course, with its gift of swift flight, it was strange that it had not ranked first, but Dragon explained to the Jade Emperor that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back. Then, on his way to the finish, he saw a little helpless Rabbit clinging onto a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The Jade Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the Dragon, and he was added into the zodiac cycle.
Soon after, the sound of thundering hooves marked the arrival of Horse, who had a passenger attached to him: Snake. Snake darted to the finish line ahead of Horse, who was so startled, he reared back in fright, letting Snake slither ahead across the finish line. This made Snake sixth and Horse seventh.
Not long after, Sheep, Monkey, and Rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. Rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, Sheep/Goat and Monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named Sheep as the eighth creature, Monkey as the ninth, and Rooster the tenth.
The next creature to arrive was once again a surprise. Dog bounded into eleventh place, even though he was the best swimmer. However, he had enjoyed playing in the water so much, he’d gotten distracted and thus placed further back in the hierarchy.
Lastly, just as the Jade Emperor was about to call an end to the race, a little Pig scurried across the finish line. Pig had gotten hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep. After the nap, the Pig continued the race and was named the twelfth animal of the zodiac cycle.
As for the poor Cat, he made it out of the water but didn’t arrive in time to finish the race. Because Rat jeopardized his chances, it’s said that this is why cats always chase rats, trying to get vengeance for what they’ve done.
Thus goes the tale of the Chinese Zodiac; although it’s a mere myth, it provokes the imagination and helped the Chinese people piece together certain mysteries of life, such as the vastly differing personalities, the Chinese zodiac elements that play such a strong role in Chinese mysticism, and the cycle of the years.
Good KARMA to y'all! ✨
xoxo,
Kiti - The Tiger, obviously! :)
