The Great Race of the Chinese Zodiac.

george tan

With so many animals in the world did you ever wonder how just 12 animals were chosen to represent the Chinese Zodiac?  This is such a wonderful story and one that could be told to tiny children as a bed time story from very early on in their life.

I gave birth to an Earth Dragon in 1988, then in 1991 I birthed a Metal Goat and finally in 1996 the Fire Rat was born.  Are they true to their animal symbolism?  I would have to say yes to this question.  My youngest who is a Rat is an opportunist and although she says she is shy, she seizes every moment and squeezes every last drop from it.

I am an Earth Pig 1959 and their father is a Water Tiger 1962.  This year, 2019 is an Earth Pig year once again.

People born in the Year of the Pig are thought to be pragmatic, generous, and popular.

https://www.inverse.com/article/53046-year-of-the-pig-google-doodle


Who doesn't like a nice easy bedtime story.  I decided to blog this story for my Grand Son Luca James Horton..  Born 4/4/2019.  He is an Earth Pig just like his MiMi (grandmother).

THE GREAT RACE

A long long time ago, before his departure from earth, Buddha decided to have a grand race and all the animals in the kingdom were invited.

 Unfortunately only 12 animals showed up at the event. Grateful for their efforts, Buddha rewarded them by naming each year of the Chinese Zodiac calendar after these 12 animals. And it was arranged according to the order of their arrival.

The 12 animals that came for the grand race were a rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. These are what we now know as the Chinese zodiac animals.

Cat and the Rat 

Upon hearing of Buddha's invitation to the grand race, the Cat invited his best friend the Rat to join him and they agreed to go together.

But the Cat has the habit of waking up late. So, fearing he might miss the grand race, he asked the Rat to wake him up the next morning.

The Rat, however, forgot his promise and left without his best friend, the Cat.


Alas, when the Cat finally woke up, it was already too late and did not make it to the race on time. Hence, there was no year in the Chinese Zodiac named after him. This is why until this day, the Cat will always hunt the Rat.

The Cunning Rat 

The Rat was actually too excited about the race. That's why he forgot to wake up his friend, the Cat.

Along the way, the Rat saw other animals were already in front of him and they ran much faster.

Before the finishing line, there is also a river to cross and it is not a small river! But the Rat is already feeling tired and it is still a long way to go. He is also a poor swimmer. So as not to fall behind them, he came out with a brilliant idea.

He knows that the Ox is the mightiest swimmer and a very straightforward animal who will believe in anything. So he pleaded with the Ox to let him ride on its head. by convincing him that being a small animal, he will not be able to run faster than the Ox.

The Ox, being a kind and straightforward animal agreed to let the Rat ride on its head and swim across together. As they neared the shore, the Rat quickly jumped off the Ox's back and sprint to the finishing line, much to the Ox's disappointment. Hence, the Rat was the first to arrive followed by the Ox.

The first year in the Chinese Zodiac calendar is therefore named after the cunning Rat and the second, after the Ox.

Year of The Tiger 

Not far behind is the Tiger. Although the Tiger is a fast animal, he had a problem when trying to cross the river.

The heavy current kept pushing him downstream and with all his might he finally managed to get to shore and came third in the race.

So the third year of Chinese Zodiac calendar is named Year of the Tiger.

Year of the Rabbit

 

Suddenly the Rabbit appeared. He was all wet and looked very tired. He tried to cross the river by jumping from stone to stone but lost his balance and was almost drowned.

Fortunately, he managed to hold on to a floating log and later got on to shore.

So the fourth year in the Chinese Zodiac calendar is the Year of the Rabbit.

 Dragon Year 

Although the Dragon can fly, he only came in fifth. Apparently, he had to slow down as he had to make rain for all the people and all the creatures on earth. And he also saw the poor Rabbit holding on to the floating log, struggling to stay afloat. So, he puffed and puffed his breath to push the log to shore. The Rabbit never realised that he was saved by the Dragon. That is why babies born in Year of Rabbit always enjoy good fortune in the Year of Dragon!

 The Horse, and then the Snake 

As soon as the Dragon took his seat next to the Rat, Ox, Tiger, and Rabbit, the Horse came charging in.

He thought he will be the sixth animal to arrive but he was wrong. Unknowing to the Horse, the Snake had clung on to his leg, and the moment they are about to reach the finishing line, the Snake quickly jumped. The Horse, taken by surprised, lunged backward and lost to the Snake who claimed the sixth position.

Three at once - Goat, Monkey and Rooster 

Moments later, the Goat, Monkey, and Rooster came almost together.


Just before the Rooster was about to cross the river, he saw the Monkey and the Goat. He convinced them to work and help each other when crossing the river instead of doing it all by themselves. So, they make a raft. But it was a small raft and it wasn't easy with all three of them. They had to push and pull and finally managed to cross the river.

 Running to the finishing line, the Goat managed to arrive first followed by Monkey, then Rooster.

 The Dog then the Pig 

Although the Dog is a good swimmer, he came in at the 11th place. He was a playful animal and was splashing around in the water too much, leaving others to overtake him.

Long after all the eleven animals had arrived, the Pig finally appeared. In fact, Buddha had given up hope of any more animals arriving when he suddenly heard the oink.

The Pig as expected was hungry and although he was in the race, he decided to stop and eat. He ate too much and grew sleepy and finally dozed off. He was lucky to wake up just in time to come in 12th, the last position.

Images @ Eminpee Fotography