Rabbit’s fourth place among the 12 Chinese zodiacs is said to be related to a contest held by the Jade Emperor on his birthday.
In Asia, the 2023 Lunar New Year will begin on January 22. But unlike Vietnam, the Lunar New Year in China takes the symbol of Rabbit instead of Cat.
But, like the Cat, in the list of 12 Chinese zodiac animals, Rabbit is also ranked 4th. So what is the reason?
“There are many different theories and stories explaining the origin of the animals in China’s twelve limbs,” said Dottie Li, voice and culture expert at the Chinese learning software Rosetta Stone. . But the most popular and widely known version revolves around the contest organized by Ngoc Hoang”.
“On his birthday, the Jade Emperor summoned all the land animals to a contest. Then 12 animals appeared. The order in which the contest is completed will determine their placement. As a result, the rabbit came in fourth, and became the fourth of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals,” Yahoo News quoted two officials at the American Museum of Chinese as Lauren Nechamkin and Nora Chen.
According to Ms. Li, to win, the animals must cross a fast-flowing river and approach the finish line on the shore.
Nechamkin and Chen further explain, to reach the destination, the Rabbit jumps along the riverbank. It jumped from one rock to another, but tripped on the way. It latched onto a nearby floating log, and was able to float to the finish line in fourth place. However, some versions say that the Dragon saw the Rabbit in distress and hovering on the log, so he exhaled a strong wind to push the Rabbit to safety.
Asians such as China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam all use animals that represent the year of birth to predict personality. And in 2023, the year of the Rabbit belongs to the element of Water.
“Rabbits are known for their softness, attentiveness and friendliness and ‘go with the flow’ attitude,” said Ms. Nechamkin and Chen.
Rabbits are considered very important animals in Chinese culture. In the Year of the Rabbit, any item with a Rabbit motif will be favored, “especially the Jade Rabbit”, Ms. Li said.
“Giving Rabbit jade jewelry is very popular this year. In Chinese mythology, the Jade Rabbit is the only animal of the 12 zodiacs that ever lived with Chang’e on the Moon Palace. Therefore, the Rabbit is a beloved animal,” said Ms. Nechamkin and Chen.
Minh Thu