It was suggested that this zodiac system was first being used in Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). There are so many stories on the origin of the zodiac, but one of them is especially interesting and popular.
The Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) wanted to name the calendar years after the animals, so he decided to hold a river-crossing race, and the first 12 animals which finished the race got to represent the years. The resulting order was…*drumming*
1st – Rat
2nd – Ox
3rd – Tiger
4th – Rabbit
5th – Dragon
6th – Snake
7th – Horse
8th – Goat
9th – Monkey
10th – Rooster
11th – Dog
12th – Pig (yeah, that really puts to hunting animals to shame)
*Play cymbal*
What? Why would Dragon take the 5th place? Well, it had to summon rain, so it entered the race late.
How could Rat beat other animals? Um, it rode on the back of the Ox and hopped off at the last moment.
Why could Snake crawl faster than Horse? It, er, scared Horse so, er…
Come on, people! That’s just some folklore, of course there will be loopholes!
While the younger generations these days don’t take this too seriously, life planning according to the zodiac years is still popular among some. Say, people make maternity plans so that their babies could be born in some “good” years, like Year of Tiger, Dragon or Monkey.
I am not interest in these though. They seem fun, but are painful to understand. And these zodiac / star readings… don’t make much sense to me.
Anyway, here’s a quiz for you!
I was born in a Year of Snake.
And three Years of Snake have passed since my birth.
How old am I now?
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