This is a story of how the animals came to be part of the Chinese Zodiac. You may want to tell it the next time you order Chinese food!
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A long time ago, the animals of China were invited to compete for a place in the Zodiac calendar. Twelve spots were open to the first twelve animals to finish a long and difficult race. All the animals were very excited about this opportunity! The one who finished first would be the first sign in the Zodiac; the one who finished second would be the second sign, and so on.
Back when the world was young, all the animals got along quite well. You may find it hard to believe, but the Cat and the Rat were such good friends that they shared a house! Cat and Rat were both very good at sleeping, and were afraid they would oversleep and miss the start of the race.
They asked their friend Ox to make sure they woke up on time, and Ox agreed.
The day of the race arrived, and Ox got to Cat and Rat’s house bright and early. He pounded on the door with his mighty hoof, but no one answered. He bellowed in the window, but no one answered. Finally he pushed the door open with his strong shoulders and went to the bedroom to find Cat and Rat.
The two lazy animals were so deeply asleep that nothing Ox did would wake them up! It was getting late, and he was afraid that he would miss the start of the race… so he picked up Cat and Rat and put them on his back.
The race began and Ox ran as fast as he could, carrying Cat and Rat on his back. If he could get to the finish line first, all three of them could be part of the Zodiac!
Well all the bouncing around finally woke up Rat. He looked over at Cat, still fast asleep, and got an idea. If Cat was awake, there was no way he could beat her in a race. She was way too big and fast! Instead, he gave Cat a shove and pushed her right off Ox’s back!
Cat sure woke up then, having rolled right into the river! She splashed her way out and watched as the racing animals sped past her.
As Ox neared the finish line, Rat climbed up onto his head. Just before Ox crossed the line to become the very first animal in the Zodiac, Rat jumped as far as he could jump and managed to beat Ox across the line! This is why the Rat is the first sign in the Chinese Zodiac and Ox is the second.
Cat never forgave Rat for pushing her off Ox’s back and into the water. To this day, instead of getting along and living together as friends, cats chase rats!