GoKids

The following is a very interesting story told by Charmaine To from Kingswood College (2008), on radio 94.1FM in early 2008.

The Chinese Zodiac consists of twelve animals:

• the Rat
• the Ox
• the Tiger
• the Rabbit
• the Dragon
• the Snake
• the Horse
• the Sheep
• the Monkey
• the Rooster
• the Dog and
• the Pig.

The Zodiac origins in china, where there are many legends to explain the beginning of the twelve year cycle.

.. This is one of them ..

The Rat was in charge of inviting the animals to the Jade Emperor for a banquet, to be selected for the zodiac signs. The Rat tricked the cat, which was (supposedly!) a friend of his, and said that the banquet was the next day. The car missed the banquet and when she found out, she vowed to be the Rat's sworn enemy for ages to come.

... Another legend says that a race across the river was the deciding factor...

The Rat and the cat were good friends, very intelligent but the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. They decided that the easiest way to cross the river was to ride on the Ox's back, who agreed to carry them. Overcome with a fierce competitiveness, the Rat pushed the car into the river jumped ahead when the Ox reached the shore and claimed first (1st ) price.

The Ox, claimed second (2nd ) prize and the Tiger, which was held back slightly by the heavy downstream currents, she was awarded third (3rd ) prize.

The Rabbit, which was fourth (4th ) , said that she had hopped from one stone to the other, and managed to grab hold of a floating log; and when the trail of stones ended, she had bobbed her way to the shore, with the Dragon which came fifth (5th ) . The Dragon had to make rain for the people on earth, and had helped the Rabbit on his way to the finishing line.

The Snake hitched a ride on the Horse and she leapt off when the Horse reached the shore. The Snake's sudden appearance gave the Horse a shock, causing her to fall back. So the Snake was sixth (6th )  and the Horse was seventh (7th ) .

The Sheep, Monkey and the Rooster helped each other across the river. The Rooster had spotted a raft, and he decided the use it. The Sheep pulled out the reeds to make way, and the Monkey used her tail to steer the raft. When they reached the finish, the Sheep jumped off first, and her awarded eighth ( 8th ) , while the Monkey was ninth (9th ) and the Rooster was tenth (10th ) .

Despite he was a fast swimmer, the Dog had came 11th (11th ) . The urge to play in the water was tempting and the splashing through the river wasn't a very fast way to go! The Pig, which was twelfth (12th ) , had stopped for a feast and then a nap during the race. Afterwards, he continued on.

The cat, which was pushed into the water by the Rat, finished thirteenth which was too late to win a place in the calendar. She swore to be the Rat's enemy forever.

Thank you for listening to me.