Xīn Nián Kuài Lè 新年快乐 - Fú Dào Le 福到了
A Peranakan Chinese New Year
How the creatures in the Chinese Zodiac found their place
The wily rat made sure it won the race
You may be wondering why the lunar years, as they are known, each bear the name of a different creature - and why there are twelve of them. It's based on an ancient tale, and it goes a little like this.
Why was there a race? The story goes that a race was organised by the Jade Emperor - one of the most important gods in traditional Chinese religion - who invited all the animals in the world to take part. Twelve species turned up at the start line: a pig, dog, rooster, monkey, sheep, horse, snake, dragon, rabbit, tiger, ox and rat.
As a reward for turning up, the Emperor named a year in the zodiac after each one, while the race would determine the order each animal would be placed.
