As time marches on, the animals race to show the way

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger. As many know, last year was the Year of the Ox and next year will be the Year of the Rabbit. But why does the lunar calendar have this order of animals? Well, the answer can be found in a rather charming origin myth about a "great race", the exact details of which vary with each retelling. So, I will do my best to give you my rough interpretation of the "great race" as I see it.

A long time ago, the Jade Emperor, former assistant and successor to Yuanshi Tianzun, the eternal creator of heaven and Earth, decided he needed a way to measure time.

To solve this, the Jade Emperor decided to create the zodiac calendar with 12 animals allocated a year each. To determine which animal would be allocated which year, the emperor devised a race. The finishing places of each animal would correspond with the respective years.

First to arrive at the start line was the cat, looking smug. This would be short-lived with the cat discovering that the race would involve crossing a raging river, with the finish line on an island in the middle of it.

Next to arrive were the ox and the rat, the rat having convinced the ox to give him a lift over the river. Generously, the ox agreed to take the cat as well.

Waving them off from the river bank, the Jade Emperor shouted "Good luck!" And with that, he disappeared in a puff of green smoke and reappeared in another puff of smoke at the finish line on the island in the middle of the river.

The ox labored on across the fierce river. As he approached the bank, the rat pushed the cat into the water, with it screeching and clawing as it got swept away.

As the ox raised its hulking body out of the water, the rat scurried along the ox's back, slid along its horn, took a great leap and swiftly landed at the feet of the Jade Emperor.

"Ta-da!"

The Year of the Rat became year No 1 on the lunar calendar. The Year of the Ox; No 2.

Next to come splashing up the bank was the tiger; year No 3.

There was an approaching noise, fast rising in volume. A blurry, furry mass flew past crashing into a nearby bush. The rabbit; year No 4.

At that moment, a great shadow appeared over the Jade Emperor and his first four finishers.

It was the dragon, who should have finished first but was distracted by villages affected by drought, so he stopped to make it rain for them. As he approached the finish line, he had noticed the rabbit struggling in the river. Realizing he was allergic to rabbits, the dragon sneezed sending the rabbit across the finish line and into the bush. Year of the Dragon; year No 5.

Next to come galloping up was the horse, unaware that the snake was concealed and coiled within the horse's mane. The snake took the opportunity at the last minute to spring out and cross the finish line before the horse had a chance. Years six and seven, done.

"Land ho!" rang out in the distance. It was the rooster, the goat and the monkey, working together paddling a raft. That's years eight, nine and 10.

Bounding up the bank came the dog next－year 11.

There was a pause. Who would take the final spot?

A rustling came from the bushes. It was the pig waking from a nap after gorging on a big meal.

With the 12 places decided, they all went off to have a feast together. On their way, the pig quietly pulled the rat to one side and told him that he saw the cat clinging to a rock in the middle of the river during his own crossing. The pig said that the cat told him that the next time he sees the rat, he's going to be in "big trouble".

The rat replied to the pig "duly noted".

So, there you have it. My interpretation of the "great race", how the Chinese lunar calendar came to be.