The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac Animals

Kayo in front of Park Lane by CMP with their CNY decorations.

As the year of ox waves its tail goodbye, we welcome the piercing gaze of the year of the Tiger. But how were the animals selected? 

According to Chinese legend, the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven and Earth, decided that there needed to be a way to measure the passing of the seasons in twelve-year increments. Therefore, he invited the animals in his kingdom to a race on the first day of the new year. The first twelve animals to arrive at the Gate of Heaven would represent the years. 

The Chinese Zodiac is a classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle, from Wikicommons.

After the Jade Emperor's announcement, the animals were excited. They talked over each other and discussed their plans to win the race. The commotion woke up the Cat, who napped through speech. “Did I miss anything important?” he asked his friend, the Rat.  

“Oh yes, the Jade Emperor announced that there will be a race on the second day of the new year. So the first twelve animals to arrive at the Gate of Heaven will represent the years,” the Rat said. 

“Oh goody! We'll get up early and be the first ones at the Gates of Heaven!” the Cat said as he stretched. 

Knowing that he was slower than most, the Ox decided to wake up early to get a head start. He woke up at the crack of dawn and started his journey toward the Gate of Heaven. The Rat saw and took it as an opportunity to get an easy start. He jumped onto the Ox’s back without him noticing. After walking for some time, it was time to cross the river before reaching the Gate. When the Ox waddled into the water and started to swim, the Rat held on to the Ox’s horn to stay dry. As soon as the Ox emerged from the water, the Rat jumped off. Before the Ox knew what was going on, the Rat had reached the Gate first, to the Ox’s dismay.

“Well, sneaky Rat, it looks like you've taken the first place by taking advantage of the hardworking Ox,” The Jade Emperor said as he stroked his beard. 

Then, the Tiger showed up shortly after swimming against the current, taking third place. 

Our new ornament for the coming year of the tiger.

The Rabbit took fourth place, crossing the river floating on a log. Then, the Dragon flew down and landed at the Gate. Mystified, the Jade Emperor asked the Dragon, “Why did it take you so long to get here? You can fly!”

“Well, my Emperor, on my way here, I saw that some villagers and their crops were suffering, so I stopped to make some rain. Then I saw the poor Rabbit on the log in the river. So I made some wind to help him along.”  

The Jade Emperor and the animals turned toward the river as The Horse neighed as he galloped toward the Gate. The Snake uncoiled himself from the Horse’s front leg and slithered to the finish line. The Horse was so shocked that he took a step back, allowing the Snake to claim the sixth place. The Horse resigned to seventh place. 

Then, the Goat, Monkey, and the Chicken arrived on a raft. They took eighth, ninth, and tenth place, respectively. Then, the Dog came dashing out the river to the Gate, placing him in the eleventh place. “But you're a great swimmer!” The Emperor exclaimed. “What took you so long?” 

The Dog sheepishly admitted that he got distracted and decided to splash around in the water during the race. 

The Emperor and winners all waited by the Gate to see who would earn the final spot. Finally, the Pig grunted as he emerged from the river. He was worried that he had missed the opportunity to claim a place because he had to stop for a snack before crossing the river. 

“You came right in time!” The Emperor patted the Pig on the back. “Now that we have our 12 winners, it’s time to celebrate!”

After the celebration, all the winners went home. The following day, the Cat wandered up to the Gate of  Heaven. Seeing that no one else was there, the Cat was excited. “Yes! I am first! I am first!” he exclaimed. 

The Jade Emperor poked his head out of the Gate. “You lazy Cat,” he scolded. “Didn’t you know that the race was yesterday?” 

The Cat knew then that the Rat had lied to him. So he swore vengeance to his friend who had betrayed him. From that day on, rats hide at the sight of a cat. 

Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! I hope you have a prosperous year of the Tiger!

Kayo in front of Park Lane by CMP with their CNY decorations.