Chinese New Year
The Jade Emperor’s Race
The Jade Emperor, ruler of the realms of Heaven above and the realms of Earth and
Hell below, decided to create a calendar for all his subjects. He told the animals that
on his birthday there would be a swimming race across a river and the winners
would be honoured for all time by having the years named after them.
All the animals were very excited and for weeks before the event they talked of
nothing else. The Cat and the Rat were good friends so they decided that on the day
of the race they would get up early and walk to the river together. But the Cat did
not like mornings. He liked a lie-in, a leisurely breakfast about midday, an early
afternoon nap, then perhaps a late lunch before a serious sleep about four o’clock. So
the night before the race, the Cat asked the Rat to wake him up early in the morning.
“Sure,” said the Rat, “You can trust me.”
The next day, the Cat woke up, stretched and looked around. There was no sign of
the Rat. He looked up at the sun, and then jumped to his feet – it was high in the sky!
It must be nearly noon! The Rat had tricked him and he would never make it to the
race on time. The Cat swore he’d get his own back, which explains why - ever since
that day - cats have been chasing rats to get their revenge.
Meanwhile, the other animals had arrived at the river bank. They all lined up and
waited for the Jade Emperor - who was standing on the opposite bank - to start the
race. The Rat looked across the fast-flowing water and then down the line at his
opponents. He realised that he hadn’t a hope of beating them if the race depended
on strength alone. But the Rat was intelligent, determined and knew there were
other ways to win. He sidled up to the Ox, who was known to be a strong swimmer.
“I’m only little,” said the Rat, “I’ve no chance of getting across the river, let
alone winning the race. Do you mind if I ride on your back?” The Ox was a goodnatured animal who liked to help his friends, so he agreed.
The Jade Emperor gave the signal and the animals dived into the fast-flowing water.
The strength and weight of the Ox counted in his favour and he soon pulled ahead
of the others, with the Rat sitting high on his back, shouting encouragement. But as
they neared the opposite side, the Rat leaped from the Ox’s head and onto the bank,
scuttling the final distance to the finish line.
“Well done Rat!” said the Jade Emperor, “You have won the race and the
honour of having the first year named after you.” He knew that the Rat had won
through trickery rather than athletic ability, but he admired the little animal’s
intelligence. The Ox came a close second, snorting angrily at the Rat, who just smiled
sweetly.
The Tiger was third. She hauled herself up onto the bank, her beautiful fur heavy
with water. She had managed to get across the river quickly because of her great
strength, but she was exhausted. As soon as she had crossed the finish line, she
slumped down onto the grass to rest.
Then the Rabbit bounced up next to them, looking quite fresh. The Tiger looked at
the tiny animal in disbelief.
“How did you get across so quickly?” she asked.
“Easy!” said the Rabbit, “I hopped from rock to rock and then onto a floating
log which brought me the rest of the way.”
The Dragon came next.
“I thought you’d be first!” said the Jade Emperor, “You can fly and swim.”
The Dragon grinned, showing every single one of his enormous teeth.
“I was helping the Rabbit,” he said, “She jumped onto a floating log and
would have been swept downstream if I hadn’t blown her across to the other side.”
The Horse was next up onto the bank but as he galloped towards them, the Snake
uncoiled from around the Horse’s hoof where she’d been hiding. The Horse reared
up in fright and the Snake slithered quickly across the line, looking very pleased
with herself. The Horse shook his mane in annoyance and cantered to the finish.
Then came the Sheep, the Monkey and the Rooster.
“How come you’re all together?” asked the Jade Emperor.
“I spotted a raft caught in the reeds,” said the Rooster, “and I asked the others
to help me.”
“I got the raft out of the reeds,” said the Sheep.
“And we all helped to punt it across the river,” said the Monkey.
While they were talking, the dog arrived and shook himself, showering them all
with water.
“Careful!” said the Jade Emperor, “But you’re one of the best swimmers.
What took you so long?” The Dog looked a bit embarrassed.
“Well, you know how it is. I was enjoying myself so much, I thought I’d
splash around for a bit longer. I like a good bath.”
Eleven animals had arrived, but there was still one more year to be named. The Jade
Emperor waited a little longer, but it didn’t look like any more animals were coming.
“Who are we missing? There’s the Cat, of course...” the Jade Emperor gave the
Rat a glance, “...but he’ll be late. Who else is there?”
There was a loud splashing from the river, and then a pink snout appeared over the
bank. It grunted. The Pig climbed out of water and trotted up to them.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I thought I’d need lots of energy so I had a big
snack before the race. Then I remembered what my mother always says: you
shouldn’t swim for an hour after eating. So as I was going to have to wait for an hour
anyway, I had another snack. And then a bit of a snooze.”
“Never mind, you’re here now,” said the Jade Emperor and turned to face all
the animals, “You all made it across the river, so I will award each of you the honour
of having a year named after you.”
From then on, the Chinese calendar has followed the cycle of the twelve animals, in
the order that they crossed the river.