Year of the Rat

The Chinese Zodiac is made up of the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar, in that order.

Every dozen years, they rotate back through from the top. There are several stories about the animals, how they were chosen, and why they’re in that order. As one legend has it, long ago  the Jade Emperor decided there needed to be an accurate way to measure time. So he told the animals there would be a swimming race. The first 12 animals to finish the race would get a year named after them, and their finish order would determine the sequence. Let’s just say the rat was a little sneaky, the pig was hungry, and the cat was out of luck. So there’s no Year of the Cat, except maybe this song.

Many believe that people born in a given year taking on the qualities of that year’s patron animal. We’re now in the Year of the Rat, which will return in 2032. Find your birth year in this chart from The Mind’s Journal to see which zodiac animal you’re associated with.