Animals of the Chinese zodiac

These stone statues lined up in a row each have animals of the zodiac at their feet, allowing visitors to find the statue corresponding to their birth year's zodiac sign and pay their respects with special reverence. Characterized by their round and gentle smiling faces, these statues are lovingly adorned by devoted visitors with handmade hats and scarves knitted from red and yellow yarn, always kept warm and cherished.

Why were twelve specific animals chosen for the zodiac starting with the rat, and why is the cat excluded? This question is answered by an ancient legend of a "race" among the animals. Long ago, Buddha told the animals, "Come to me early on New Year's morning, and the first twelve to arrive will become the representatives for that year." The slow-footed ox began walking the night before, but the clever rat, learning of this, secretly jumped onto the ox's back. Just before the finish line, the rat leaped down and crossed first. Thus the rat became first and the ox second. The tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, and dog all reached Buddha through their own strengths, while the boar ran with steady determination and arrived twelfth. The cat, however, was deliberately told by the rat that the gathering was one day later and missed the deadline entirely. This legend explains why the cat is not included in the zodiac and why, even today, cats chase after rats.