The following story reveals legendary reasons, and some of the characteristics of the 12 animals. The story is widespread (and widely varying) among Chinese. Though it is made up, it might be interesting for you to tell your children and friends. The Heavenly Gate Race Story - Reasons for Zodiac Rankings. Long, long ago, there was no Chinese Chinese New Year and the Zodiacs. Each of these zodiac animals governs a whole year, which starts at Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar. This usually corresponds to January or February in the western calendar. When the current year has the same zodiac animal as the year you were born, you are said to be in Ben Ming Nian. The Chinese system is based on the lunar calendar and assigns an animal to each year within a 12-year cycle. It is said that people born each year receive some of that year’s animal’s reputed attributes. There are many Chinese zodiac stories, and the Great Race of the 12 animals is the most famous one. The race made the zodiac order, and rat won; thus, ranked No. 1. Happy Chinese New Year, and welcome the Year of the Fire Monkey! Chinese New Year falls on Monday, February 8th this year, and I thought it would be fun to share the story behind the Chinese zodiac animals. The mythological story is about a great race, during which the order of the 12 zodiac animals was determined. Every person is represented by the animal of their year of birth, as the graphic here shows. The year follows the Chinese lunar calendar. The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year signifies the end of one year, and the start of the next. 2025 – Year of the Snake. 2026 – Year of the Horse. 2027 – Year of the Goat. Chinese Zodiacs Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the Chinese calendar year, and each year is named after an animal. This tale of the Chinese zodiac is an animal story based on the great race. Add it to your collection of short bedtime stories for kids. Learning about the 12 Chinese Animal Birth Signs (Chinese Zodiac) Year of the Snake Craft Make a Chinese New Year Lucky Word Sign Fú Craft Chinese New Year Lantern Festival Riddle Game Printable Lunar New Year Classic Greeting Coloring Pages Chinese New Year Let’s Make Dumplings A Must-Have Recipe Winter Solstice Dōng Zhì Festival Just as the ox was about to win the race, the rat leapt on his head and on to the bank to finish first. 'Well done,' said the Jade Emperor to the proud rat. 'The first year of the zodiac will be named after you.' The poor ox had been tricked into second place and the second year of the zodiac was named after him. The Great Zodiac Animals Race. Long ago, the Jude Emperor (ruler of heaven) would like to measure time by twelve different animals. He told animals that he would hold a great race on his birthday, the prize was twelve positions on the Chinese zodiac calendar. The one who arrives at the Heaven Gate first will be named for the first zodiac year. The Chinese zodiac includes 12 animal signs, in order they are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, marks the transition from one animal to the next—2024 is the year of the Dragon, which began on February 10th, 2024, and ends on February 24th, 2024. 🎉 Zodiac Origin Story | The Story of the Great Race for Kids! | Lunar New Year 🐇Have you ever wondered how the Chinese Zodiac came to be? 🌟 Dive into the 春节快乐 Happy Chinese New Year 2023The Jade Emperor in China decides that there must be a way to measure time. So he comes up with a plan for a Great Race. The Long ago, in China, the Emperor wanted a new way of measuring time. A different sort of New Year. ‘Let us name the years after animals!’ he said. The people listening, frowned. ‘Which Each Chinese lunar year has a Chinese zodiac sign animal. The Chinese zodiac year's stsarting date is a little different from the Gregorian year. It starts from Chinese New Year. The Chinese zodiac years chart below is provided to help you find out the exact starting and ending dates of the Chinese zodiac years. (This is especially useful for An ancient folk story tells that Cat and Rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. To test this folk story, there was a The Great Race. Cats, rats, If you’re interested in Chinese New Year animals and you’d like to find out what your zodiac sign is, then you’ll be pleased to know that it's an easy process! The zodiac Chinese New Year animals follow a 12-year cycle, in accordance with the lunar calendar. At the start of each lunar new year, a new animal represents this new cycle. This Learn how the Zodiac years were named by the Jade Emperor.Visit CBeebies at to find even more fun games and videos for your pre The Chinese Zodiac consists of 12 animals that signify each year, tracing their origins to a race set by the Jade Emperor. Each animal embodies distinct traits and is linked to five elements The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang, features 12 animal signs in this order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. 2025 is the Year of the Snake according to Chinese zodiac, starting from the 2025 Chinese New Year on Jan. 29th and lasting to 2026 Lunar New Year's Eve on Feb. 16. 2026 is the Year of the Horse.
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