In the Chinese Zodiac story, the cat is betrayed by its friend – the rat – when it fails to live up to its promise to wake the cat up for the Zodiac race as agreed.
This is why, according to the myth, our feline friends don't appear in the Chinese Lunar calendar.
However, in Vietnam, 2023 is the year of the water cat instead of the rabbit. And if you're in the Southeast Asian nation, don't be surprised to see visuals of the cat used to usher in the country's Lunar New Year, Tết.
Why is the cat celebrated in Vietnam instead of the rabbit?
In Vietnam, the cat is the fourth animal symbol in the 12-year cycle of the Vietnamese Zodiac, taking the place of the rabbit. Due to this, traits associated with the rabbit are attributed to the cat.
While there are many explanations as to why the cat takes over the rabbit in the Vietnamese Zodiac, the most common explanation is due to language. In Vietnam, the word used for rabbit (Mão ~ Mẹo) sounds similar to the Vietnamese word for cat (con mèo).
There's another practical explanation as well according to experts.
"Rice is a huge part of Vietnam's agriculture, but with the threat of many rats in the fields, the cats [that hunt them] are a popular animal for the Vietnamese," expert on traditional Vietnamese culture, Nguyen Hieu Tin revealed.
"Another explanation is that the Vietnamese don't want to observe two years with a similar animal. They see the mouse and the rabbit as being closely linked."
What do the Vietnamese hope for in the year of the water cat?
Similar to the Chinese, the Vietnamese are looking forward to the year of the feline as it's believed to bring good luck with things being slightly easier than the previous tumultuous years.
Unlike the rabbit, the Vietnamese see the cat as a friend who helps protect their crops and food sources from rodents.
Ngo Huong Giang, a Hanoi-based culture researcher, said the cat also clears away bad spirits to bring good luck.
The cat is not the only difference between the Chinese and Vietnamese Zodiacs. In Vietnam, the ox is replaced by the buffalo. This means both countries share a total of 10 Zodiac animals despite being neighbors.
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Cover image sourced from Malay Mail and Saigoneer.
