In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that this is the Year of the Rabbit in China and the Year of the Cat in Vietnam. I thought it might be interesting to explore why the difference?
Both Vietnamese and Chinese astrology use the zodiac animals to make predictions about a person’s fate, as they believe the zodiac sign influences the personalities, careers, love and fortune of the person born in that year.
Both zodiacs are different but not in a way that one is superior to the other — they are both rich in culture and tradition and they have been a part of the beliefs and cultures of both countries for centuries.
It is thought that the Vietnamese zodiac originated from the ancient Chinese zodiac, and that the rabbit sign was replaced by the cat due to the similarity in sound between “Mao” for rabbit in Chinese and “Meo” in Vietnamese, which means cat.
But here’s a better explanation, I think, of why there is no Year of the Cat in the Chinese zodiac….
Once upon a time, the Jade Emperor announced a grand race to decide which animals would represent each year in the Chinese zodiac. All creatures were invited to participate in this race, and each one was determined to come out on top.
The cat and the rat were the closest of friends and decided to join the race together. The cat was known for his love of sleeping late and getting grumpy when woken up, so the rat promised to make sure that he would be on time by waking him up early.
But on the day of the race, the rat didn’t keep his promise and went off on his own, leaving the cat behind. On his journey, he met the ox, the tiger, the dragon, and many other faster animals. The clever rat then devised a plan.
He convinced the ox to give him a ride, singing him a song on the way to the palace. As they were getting closer to the palace, the ox was thrilled about the possibility of being the first animal of the year, but at the last moment, the rat jumped off his back and arrived at the feet of the emperor before any other animal.
One by one, the rest of the 12 animals arrived, and lastly, the cat came running into the palace. He was the 13th to arrive and was not chosen for the calendar. Filled with fury, the cat chased after the rat, who he once thought of as a friend. And that’s why the cat is missing from the Chinese zodiac and still chasing the rat to this day.
The linguistic connection I mentioned above suggests that the Vietnamese calendar was likely adapted from the Chinese one. But there are theories that suggest that the Vietnamese zodiac could have been independently created by ancient Vietnamese people. That theory is supported by the fact that rabbits are not as popular in Vietnam as cats are, which are often kept as pets and considered part of the family. So the cat sign is more relevant and relatable for the Vietnamese people.
The bottom line is that the cat lost out in the race for the Chinese zodiac — maybe that’s why you don’t see many cats around Chinese restaurants? Just saying……
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