The rat holds a special place in Chinese tradition. Find out about the Chinese New Year of the rat and why it is considered to be so special.
Not many people would like to link themselves with the image of the rat outside of the Chinese culture. For the majority of westerners the rat is a tiny, filthy, shady character that dwells in the dirtiest of places. On the contrary the Chinese thinkers known for their observation skills draw a completely different character sketch of the rat.
One of the virtues of the rat is intelligence. The great Chinese thinkers also feel that the rat can be extremely hardworking and resourceful animal together with being in complete command of things. In fact, they are classified to be perfectionists! These are some of the characteristics that the Chinese philosophers have discovered in Chinese rat people.
According to the Chinese culture and traditions, each New Year has an animal allotted to it. Behind it are a long process and a legend that follows the assigning of such special animal symbols to the years. But as the lunar calendar goes, there are basically twelve animals that are repeated after every twelfth year.
The Chinese history reports that the rat has a unique position in the ancient culture. History says that the twelve animals that are part of the cycle were made to participate in a race. All along the ox was leading the race. But little did he realize that the rat was on his back and so when he approached the finishing point, the rat jumped of his back and crossed the finishing line first!
Thus, it seems that the entire animal history begins with the symbol of the rat. Hence, after the completion of every twelfth year, a cycle gets over and a whole new cycle begins with the year of the rat.
The rat thus has proved its mettle in being one of the most innovative and sharp personalities. It is admired for its ability to get into the depth of all sorts of trouble and find a way to achieve success. Intelligence being its key characteristicit finds it easy to get success.
Chinese philosophers have come up with a personality sketch of the rat symbol and thus people now are more in favor of accepting any comparison to the Chinese perception of the rat's persona. However, it is definitely simple to picture why the idea is difficult for the westerners because, the west have their own perception of the tiny creature.
Yet another feature about the twelve animals of the lunar cycle that might be conflicting and interesting is the compatibility subject. What led to these connections is still quite unfamiliar, but the Chinese thinkers do have reasons for their beliefs about which animal is compatible to which one or whether they will have fights
Amazingly the rat has great compatibility with the monkey. Where do they derive this from? Who knows? But nonetheless this is what the prevailing beliefs are in China. From ancient times the year of the rat has been welcomed by the Chinese as a sign of protection and prosperity. - 30411
Not many people would like to link themselves with the image of the rat outside of the Chinese culture. For the majority of westerners the rat is a tiny, filthy, shady character that dwells in the dirtiest of places. On the contrary the Chinese thinkers known for their observation skills draw a completely different character sketch of the rat.
One of the virtues of the rat is intelligence. The great Chinese thinkers also feel that the rat can be extremely hardworking and resourceful animal together with being in complete command of things. In fact, they are classified to be perfectionists! These are some of the characteristics that the Chinese philosophers have discovered in Chinese rat people.
According to the Chinese culture and traditions, each New Year has an animal allotted to it. Behind it are a long process and a legend that follows the assigning of such special animal symbols to the years. But as the lunar calendar goes, there are basically twelve animals that are repeated after every twelfth year.
The Chinese history reports that the rat has a unique position in the ancient culture. History says that the twelve animals that are part of the cycle were made to participate in a race. All along the ox was leading the race. But little did he realize that the rat was on his back and so when he approached the finishing point, the rat jumped of his back and crossed the finishing line first!
Thus, it seems that the entire animal history begins with the symbol of the rat. Hence, after the completion of every twelfth year, a cycle gets over and a whole new cycle begins with the year of the rat.
The rat thus has proved its mettle in being one of the most innovative and sharp personalities. It is admired for its ability to get into the depth of all sorts of trouble and find a way to achieve success. Intelligence being its key characteristicit finds it easy to get success.
Chinese philosophers have come up with a personality sketch of the rat symbol and thus people now are more in favor of accepting any comparison to the Chinese perception of the rat's persona. However, it is definitely simple to picture why the idea is difficult for the westerners because, the west have their own perception of the tiny creature.
Yet another feature about the twelve animals of the lunar cycle that might be conflicting and interesting is the compatibility subject. What led to these connections is still quite unfamiliar, but the Chinese thinkers do have reasons for their beliefs about which animal is compatible to which one or whether they will have fights
Amazingly the rat has great compatibility with the monkey. Where do they derive this from? Who knows? But nonetheless this is what the prevailing beliefs are in China. From ancient times the year of the rat has been welcomed by the Chinese as a sign of protection and prosperity. - 30411
About the Author:
The original Chinese new year rat has important symbolic significance. To read further on Chinese new year arts & crafts follow the hyperlinks.
