2008 is the Year of the Rat. So all over China, you can find cute (?) rat or mouse new year’s decorations like this one found on my downstairs neighbor’s door.
Happy Year of the Rat --2008
Have you ever wondered why each year has an assigned animal according to the Chinese? Well, the Chinese lunar calendar runs in cycles of 12 years. In fact, the 12th year (the year of the pig, which was last year) is a “leap year.” An entire month is added!
The year of the rat is the first year in the cycle. Why does the lowly rat get the honor of being the first? Well, basically there was a mythical race among all the animals. The rat cheated by riding on the ox’s head. Thus the rat won, and gets the first position in the 12 year cycle.
For more about the Chinese zodiac, visit my Chinese New Year page. I’ve got links to some printables as well as a link that will tell you what year you were born in.
This would not be a new year’s decoration. This is the reality of what Chinese people (and other intelligent folks like me) really think of rats:
rat trap
We’re talking rats –not cute field mice that nibble your cereal boxes. Rats– huge, nasty, mean, not afraid of you RATS. Thus the cages.
The main problem with traps like these is that once you catch a rat, you’ve got to dispose of it. And it’s still ALIVE! I found that the best technique is to drop the entire trap into a large vat of water. Drown the fellow.
[Please don't ask me how I have my own preferred rat killing method. Just trust me. Drowning it is the best method. As if you'd ever need to know that! Why do I blog these crazy things? Oh, it's the year of the rat. Right.]
