As the end of January passes and the beginning of February approaches, it is time for many Asian communities to unite and celebrate Lunar New Years. The day of Lunar New Year varies each year based on the movement of the moon. Festivities are different wherever you go, but generally include the trading of red envelopes, setting off firecrackers, and commemorating that year’s zodiac animal. Based off the zodiac calendar, every year is correlated to one of the 12 zodiac animals, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, or pig. 2020 is a lucky year because the cycle of zodiac animals starts again, meaning that it is the year of the rat. The rat, known for its brains and outgoing personality, isn’t the first animal on the zodiac calendar for no reason. In fact, it earned its place on the zodiac calendar many, many millennia ago…..
The esteemed Jade Emperor, ruler of all Heavens, needed a method of telling time. With that in mind, he decided to create the zodiac calendar which would consist of a cycle of 12 animals. The Jade Emperor decided to give all animals of the land a chance to earn the honor of being on the zodiac calendar through winning the Great Race. On the day of the race, whichever 12 animals were first to reach the Jade Emperor's palace, would be given a place on the zodiac calendar.
The clever rat and cat, who were good friends, traveled together. It seemed as though they would be the first ones to reach the Emperor's palace, but they soon reached an obstacle that neither could overcome alone. In front of the Emperor's palace laid a wide river that could only be crossed by swimming. Knowing that they were the worst of swimmers, the rat and cat waited on the banks of the river for someone much more capable to give them a ride. The diligent ox arrived soon after, and gave the rat and cat permission to ride on his back as they swam across the river. The rat pushed off the cat just before the ox could reach the other side of the river and jumped off, making the clever rat the first animal of the zodiac calendar while the diligent ox was second.
The strong tiger came third despite his speed because the river current proved a challenging obstacle for him, slowing him down.
The quick footed rabbit, only ever so much bigger than the rat or the cat, was also a horrible swimmer. However, it managed to float across the river by using a log, putting the rabbit at fourth place.
The mighty, benevolent dragon placed fifth, despite being able to fly. When asked by the Jade Emperor why he did not place first, the dragon confessed that while on his way to the finish line, he diverged from his path to create rain for a nearby village that was burning, saving the lives of several humans and animals. Then when he arrived at the river bank, he stopped to blow a gust of wind to help the rabbit’s log stay afloat and safely reach the other side of the river.
The cunning snake nearly placed seventh, but before the horse could reach the Emperor's palace, the snake wrapped itself around the legs of the horse, successfully surprising the horse. This setback allowed the snake to reach the Emperor's palace in sixth place, while the startled horse was tricked into seventh place.
The unified sheep, monkey, and rooster floated towards the finish line on a raft. The rooster had found the raft, while both the monkey and sheep used branches to paddle ashore. However, the monkey and rooster allowed the sheep to step off of the raft first, taking eighth place, because it was the one who forged the bond between the three. The monkey took ninth place and the rooster took tenth.
Afterward, the dirty dog swam ashore, taking tenth place. When the emperor inquired why the dog, one of the best swimmers, placed tenth, the dog explained that because the river water was so clean, he decided to have himself a bath. The dog soon lost concentration and frolicked around in the river, paying no mind to the other animals who passed it.
The twelfth animal to arrive at the Emperor's palace was the peckish pig. Despite being a fast runner, the pig took a short break to eat and had fallen asleep, creating a major setback.
The cat finally climbed ashore moments later, only to find that the 12 zodiac spots had already been taken.
Another popular version of the story of the great race states that the cat and rat were neighbors. The cat would always bully the rat, so when the cat asked rat to wake it up on the day of the race, the rat purposely failed to do so. The cat woke up days after the race ended and was spiteful of the clever rat for tricking the cat out of its spot on the calendar. This is why, to this day, cats hate rats.
Regardless of what version you tell, the message is the same, brawn is irrelevant when brains are involved.
The esteemed Jade Emperor, ruler of all Heavens, needed a method of telling time. With that in mind, he decided to create the zodiac calendar which would consist of a cycle of 12 animals. The Jade Emperor decided to give all animals of the land a chance to earn the honor of being on the zodiac calendar through winning the Great Race. On the day of the race, whichever 12 animals were first to reach the Jade Emperor's palace, would be given a place on the zodiac calendar.
The clever rat and cat, who were good friends, traveled together. It seemed as though they would be the first ones to reach the Emperor's palace, but they soon reached an obstacle that neither could overcome alone. In front of the Emperor's palace laid a wide river that could only be crossed by swimming. Knowing that they were the worst of swimmers, the rat and cat waited on the banks of the river for someone much more capable to give them a ride. The diligent ox arrived soon after, and gave the rat and cat permission to ride on his back as they swam across the river. The rat pushed off the cat just before the ox could reach the other side of the river and jumped off, making the clever rat the first animal of the zodiac calendar while the diligent ox was second.
The strong tiger came third despite his speed because the river current proved a challenging obstacle for him, slowing him down.
The quick footed rabbit, only ever so much bigger than the rat or the cat, was also a horrible swimmer. However, it managed to float across the river by using a log, putting the rabbit at fourth place.
The mighty, benevolent dragon placed fifth, despite being able to fly. When asked by the Jade Emperor why he did not place first, the dragon confessed that while on his way to the finish line, he diverged from his path to create rain for a nearby village that was burning, saving the lives of several humans and animals. Then when he arrived at the river bank, he stopped to blow a gust of wind to help the rabbit’s log stay afloat and safely reach the other side of the river.
The cunning snake nearly placed seventh, but before the horse could reach the Emperor's palace, the snake wrapped itself around the legs of the horse, successfully surprising the horse. This setback allowed the snake to reach the Emperor's palace in sixth place, while the startled horse was tricked into seventh place.
The unified sheep, monkey, and rooster floated towards the finish line on a raft. The rooster had found the raft, while both the monkey and sheep used branches to paddle ashore. However, the monkey and rooster allowed the sheep to step off of the raft first, taking eighth place, because it was the one who forged the bond between the three. The monkey took ninth place and the rooster took tenth.
Afterward, the dirty dog swam ashore, taking tenth place. When the emperor inquired why the dog, one of the best swimmers, placed tenth, the dog explained that because the river water was so clean, he decided to have himself a bath. The dog soon lost concentration and frolicked around in the river, paying no mind to the other animals who passed it.
The twelfth animal to arrive at the Emperor's palace was the peckish pig. Despite being a fast runner, the pig took a short break to eat and had fallen asleep, creating a major setback.
The cat finally climbed ashore moments later, only to find that the 12 zodiac spots had already been taken.
Another popular version of the story of the great race states that the cat and rat were neighbors. The cat would always bully the rat, so when the cat asked rat to wake it up on the day of the race, the rat purposely failed to do so. The cat woke up days after the race ended and was spiteful of the clever rat for tricking the cat out of its spot on the calendar. This is why, to this day, cats hate rats.
Regardless of what version you tell, the message is the same, brawn is irrelevant when brains are involved.