What do you know about the Year of the Rat
As we all know, there are a total of 12 Chinese zodiac signs, and 2020 is the Year of the Rat. However, not many people know why and how the Rat made it onto the list. Read on to find out more.
Among the 12 animal signs, the Rat is placed first in the order. The Dragon doesn’t come first? This may sound a bit strange but the Rat did win this spot fairly. According to an ancient story, once upon a time, the Yellow Emperor wanted to find 12 different animals to be the guards of the court. A series of competitions were held and the Cat asked the Rat to help the two of them sign up for it. However, the Rat forgot to help the cat enroll, causing the Cat to forfeit its chance to become one of the 12 animal signs. Thanks to the Rat’s swift body, it outran the other animals in the race and even sat on the nose of other big animals to win the competition. This helped the Rat earn the top spot among the 12 signs.
However, that’s merely a legend and a more convincing explanation of the origin lies in the Chinese belief, Yin and the Yang. Ancient Chinese separated the 12 animals into two different categories based on the number of toes that they have. If one had an odd number of toes, it would fall into the Yin category. On the contrary, even toes would go into the Yang group. But for the Rat who has 4 toes in the front and 5 in the back, it is the only animal that bares both Yin and Yang in one body. Rare things are precious, and therefore the Rat was placed first among the twelve.
If you were born in the Year of the Rat, you are most likely a person with vitality who can always survive unexpected disasters. Rats symbolise swiftness, liveliness, and intelligence. During the Year of the Rat, people usually put something red or green on their desk in the hopes of bringing good fortune.
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