Chinese New Year is about now. We're heading out of the Year of the Pig and into the Year of the Rat. So far, so Charlotte's Web. I do like the idea, and these can inspire very colorful themed parades. What I'm not clear on is where this pig and this rat came from. Like, where did celebrants first see them. I don't think they're constellations that can be seen for an entire year but only for one year in twelve. So how'd they decide?
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A good question, one I'd never thought much about before either. It turns out the best explanation I could find was on the usually reliable wikipedia that describes the zodiac having nothing to do with constellations. The Great Race story was very enjoyable and also explains why there's no Year of the Cat.
Good article. One thing I hadn't realized was that in addition to the sign assigned to you by year there's also month, day, hour, all meaning different things. It also reminded me that the Chinese elements are quite different from the Greek elements we're used to. And the Great Race does make a neat "just so story."
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