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Feel free to drop in if you are a cat lover.
The Chinese Calendar is calculated based on the 10 Heavenly Stems (Yin-Yang + 5 Elements, Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth) and 12 Earthly Branches (12 Chinese Zodiac animals) system as far back as 2697 B.C. Yang represents odd number and male whereas Yin represents even numbers and female. Therefore you can see that the odd numbers in the Chinese Zodiac animals sequence are male Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey, and Dog.
The 10 Heavenly Stems in order are Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, Yang Earth, Yin Earth, Yang Metal, Yin Metal, Yang Water and Yin Water. The 12 Earthly Branches in order are Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig. Combined together they formed a cycle of 60 counting systems for the Chinese Calendar, starting with Wooden Rat and ending with Water Pig.
Here is why the Rat ranked as the number one spot in the 12 Zodiac animals based on a folklore story that has been passed down from generations to generations. The Heavenly God wanted to choose 12 animals for the Chinese Calendar and decided to hold a race. The first 12 positions will determine the sequence of the calendar. All the animals chose their best runner for the event.
On the day of the race, Rat’s good friend, the forgetful Cat asked Rat about the time. The Rat purposely gave the Cat the wrong time to minus out one unnecessary competitor. During the race, the smart Rat jumped onto the horn of the Ox while crossing a river. As the Ox approached the river bank, the Rat jumped down and was declared the first place. Now you know why Cats have never stopped their revenges on Rats until today. :P
The Chinese New Year this year belongs to the Brown Male Earth Rat, which falls on 7 February 2008. Check out your Chinese Zodiac sign here. For further information, here are the Chinese New Year dates for the next five years: 26 January 2009, 14 February 2010, 3 February 2011, 23 January 2012 and 10 February 2013.
May 2008 Year of Brown Earth Rat
Brings you lots of
Good Health, Happiness and Prosperity!
To all my “single” readers:
May there be lots of “Ang Pow” collections!
I hope you can collect as much as Jayson below… hehe
26 comments:
Thank you and also in the name of my cats ! What a nice year for them full of rats ! a dream ! I am a sheep, it is amazing but I am. I so much would like to prepare the New Year with you ! I celebrated once a chinese New Year and it was accidentally. We wanted to eat chinese in London and the best restaurants are in China Town. And there we dropped in the middle of the celebrations ! It was just great, we could see the dragon cortege (wonderful) and the restaurant owner was so kind ! We finally celebrated with his family and friends and we had the best waxed duck in our life !!
Good to see another local catty blogger. Gong Xi Fah Cai! We're in Subang Jaya near/in KL but we love Penang when we visit.
Our Friskies biscuits also don't last long. When it's not Target and Au stuffing their faces, it's the stray girls on the back doorstep. But what to do?
We've added you to our links list
They are so cute, such big eyes! They look very playful kittens. You take great photos, you should make them into a book.
Kong Hei Fa Choi!
Happy Chinese New Year! Thank you for sharing the story behind how the rat became first in the sequence of zodiac animals!
Great post, so much information. I'm going to bookmark it for school. Those babies of yours are doing beautifully! What dolls.
Happy Chinese New Year. We want to come groom those 3 cutie pies!
I loved the rat and cat story! Happy Chineese New Year to you and those you love. I know very little about the Chinese calendar except that I am a horse. And I think that is okay because that is the cute one right?
I love your pictures as always.
Cats all over the world will enjoy chasing down rats!
I've never heard of this story about the cat and rat--thanks for the education! Happy Year of the Rat to you too! What year are you? I'm a Rooster.
Happy Chinese New Year !!!
Great informations about the brown earth rat. Now I know more about the cat and rat . Thank you for the education, I also would like to bookmark it for school.
Your Kittie triple is so cute! I like your photos!
Happy Chinese New Year! Interesting to know some more about it. The kittens are sooo cute!!
You kitties are really cute (x 3)! I am going to put a post up for the CNY soon but with a twist. Please visit me when you have time!
Happy 1 month birthday to the kittens! Thanks too for the story about how cats got left out of the Chinese New Year--I'd often wondered! :)
Criz, Gong Hey Fatt Choy to your family, 3Js and you!!!!!
gong hei fatt choy ~~ fatttttttttt choyyyyyyyyy ~~ $$$$$$$
Happy Chinese New Year~
That is cute cat :D
Btw, Gong Xi Fa Chai!
Visit My WW : Candid Camera Thanks
gong xi gong xi
happy chinese new year to you...hope it will be a good,fruitful year for you...
hahaha... brown earth rat eh?..... i am sure it is not afraid of the brown cat that you are displaying...
have a good one criz...
Happy new year Criz :)
Happy Mousey Chinese New Year :)
The kittens are so cute.
HUAT AR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy CNY!!!!
gong hei fatt choy ! :D
Happy Chinese New Year Criz! Gong Xi Fa Chai! May you be blessed with Joy, Health and Prosperity in the year to come! I hope you had a wonderful dinner with your family, after all New Year is a time when family is of utmost importance!
Wish you Happy Chinese New Year from team CekikDarah.com :)
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