Gong Xi Fa Tsai






This year is the Year of the Rat, and Bill and I are both rats. According to Chinese mythology, this is our "opposite year", which is supposed to bring ill luck for us.

Many people ask me why it's bad luck for rats in the Year of Rats? Logically, it should be a good year 'cause it's your year. This is how I look at it:

You all know about "The Race", in which all animals from heaven and earth competed against one another for the 12 spots on the Chinese zodiac. These 12 animals are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, chicken, dog, and pig.

Wait a second! We must sidetrack a bit. Some of you fellow cat lovers out there might be wondering why the cat never made it. Well, there are two versions of what happened. The first one is about The Race:

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the ox. The ox, being a naïve and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, overcome with a fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as well. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed first place in the competition. (wikipedia)

Another legend goes like this:

The rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into believing that the banquet was the next day. The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was the next day. When he found out, the cat vowed to be the rat's natural enemy for ages to come. (wikipedia)

Whether it's because each of the 12 animals in Chinese Zodiac worked their butts off to earn a spot or because they were the only prestige ones invited by the Jade Emperor, each of them only gets to be the center of attention once every 12 years. Naturally they want to milk it for what it's worth when it comes to their own year. Imagine the anticipation and excitement the rat experienced in the first Year of the Rat. After all, it was he who beat everyone in the race. It was he who should be be celebrated for the duration of a year. However, the rat soon realized people were distracted every time there was a newborn. The rat got jealous and all the babies born in the Year of the Rat got ill luck for the entire year.

Bill and I were both born in 1972, the year of the water rat to be exact (2008 is the year of the earth rat). Nonetheless, we've got to go to a temple to pay our respect to (for the lack of words) the king rat.

Check out http://www.chinesezodiac.com/rat.php#personality for details about us rat people.