| The
Chinese calendar is represented by 12 animals. |
| Legend
has it that the 12 lunar-zodiac animals were selected
by the Jade Emperor. He conducted a race of all the animals,
and named years in the order that they finished. |
| During
the race across the countryside, the rat hitched a ride
on the back of the slow but persistent ox. When the ox
was a few feet from the finish line, the rat jumped off
and raced ahead to claim the victory and the right to
represent the first lunar-zodiac year. |
| The
rat also fooled the cat into believing that the race was
to be held a day later, so the cat missed the race entirely.
As a consequence of this trickery, the cat still chases
the rat! |
| Use
the table below to determine which animal is associated
with any birthday in the 20th or early 21st century: Click
on the animal Icon or Date to shop. |
|
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