The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
Once upon a time, in ancient China, there was a great race to determine the order of the Chinese zodiac. The gods decided that the order would be determined by the order in which the twelve animals crossed a river. The animals were the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
The rat was the cleverest of all the animals. He knew that if he could just get on a boat first, he would be the first to cross the river. So, he cunningly climbed onto the boat that was meant for the ox, who was known for his kindness and patience.
The ox, seeing the rat on his boat, was surprised but decided to be forgiving. “I see you have climbed onto my boat, rat. But I am a patient creature and will not mind,” said the ox.
The rat, however, was not satisfied. He wanted to be first, so he whispered to the ox, “If you let me go first, I will make sure that you are the first one to cross the river after me.”
The ox, being a kind-hearted animal, agreed. The rat quickly jumped off the boat and ran to the front of the line, ensuring that he was the first to cross the river.
Next was the ox, who, as he crossed, said, “Now that I am first, I will make sure that the tiger is the second to cross.”
The tiger, feeling a bit embarrassed by the ox’s kindness, decided to let him go first. As the tiger crossed, he said, “Now that I am second, I will make sure that the rabbit is third.”
The rabbit, seeing the tiger’s generous spirit, agreed to let the tiger go first. As the rabbit crossed, he said, “Now that I am third, I will make sure that the dragon is fourth.”
The dragon, knowing the rabbit’s bravery, allowed him to go first. As the dragon crossed, he said, “Now that I am fourth, I will make sure that the snake is fifth.”
The snake, recognizing the dragon’s strength, let him go first. As the snake crossed, he said, “Now that I am fifth, I will make sure that the horse is sixth.”
The horse, appreciating the snake’s wisdom, allowed him to go first. As the horse crossed, he said, “Now that I am sixth, I will make sure that the goat is seventh.”
The goat, feeling the horse’s kindness, agreed to let him go first. As the goat crossed, he said, “Now that I am seventh, I will make sure that the monkey is eighth.”
The monkey, admiring the goat’s patience, allowed him to go first. As the monkey crossed, he said, “Now that I am eighth, I will make sure that the rooster is ninth.”
The rooster, respecting the monkey’s cleverness, let him go first. As the rooster crossed, he said, “Now that I am ninth, I will make sure that the dog is tenth.”
The dog, grateful for the rooster’s bravery, allowed him to go first. As the dog crossed, he said, “Now that I am tenth, I will make sure that the pig is eleventh.”
The pig, recognizing the dog’s loyalty, allowed him to go first. As the pig crossed, he said, “Now that I am eleventh, I will make sure that the rat is twelfth.”
The rat, who had been the cleverest of all, was last to cross but was the first to reach the other side. The gods were impressed by the animals’ cooperation and decided to honor them by placing them in the order they had crossed the river.
Thus, the rat became the first animal in the Chinese zodiac, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. This order has been celebrated for centuries, and each year, people celebrate the birthday of their zodiac animal, hoping for good luck and prosperity in the coming year.
