The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals Coloring Pages

How Were the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals Chosen?

The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar.
Each year gets one animal in a fixed order. You often see them on New Year's cards, too!
The folktale "The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals" answers the mystery of "Why these 12 animals, and why in this order?"
This story is told in many different ways depending on the region and the picture book.

Summary (1): God's Announcement

Long, long ago, God made an announcement to the animals.
"Come and greet me on the morning of New Year's Day. The first 12 animals to arrive will take turns being the leader of the year, one year at a time."
The animals got super excited to be the first ones there.
The slow-footed ox thought, "I walk slowly," so he set off the night before.

Summary (2): The Clever Rat

Watching this, the rat quietly hopped onto the ox's back.
The ox walked earnestly all night long and reached the gate of God's palace before anyone else.
But as soon as the gate opened, the rat jumped off the ox's head and greeted God first!
And that is how the rat became number 1, and the ox became number 2.
After them, the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar arrived in that order.

Why Isn't there a Cat?

You might notice that the cat is not in the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals.
In the story, the rat tricked the cat by telling him a lie that the greeting day was "January 2nd."
The cat went one day late, and God told him, "You are too late!"
They say that ever since then, cats chase rats whenever they see them.
There is also a story that monkeys and dogs do not get along because they fought during the race.

3 Coloring Pages

There are 3 coloring pages.
The 1st coloring page shows the rat sitting cutely on the ox's head.
The 2nd coloring page shows the ox, the rat, and the other animals running toward the palace gate.
The 3rd coloring page is a detailed coloring page showing all 12 animals gathered around God.
Enjoy them together with the sheep zodiac coloring page for next year and the New Year's coloring page!

Ox and Mouse

You can color the ox with black and white spots, or you can make it all brown.
If you use gray instead of full black for the black parts, you can see its face really well.
For the mouse, try using gray or light brown, and color its ears and tail pink to make it look super cute!

Color the Palace Vermilion

Try coloring the gate and pillars of God’s palace in vermilion or red, just like a real shrine.
If you color the roof dark brown or green, and the rising sun in the sky orange or yellow, it will look just like New Year's morning!

Color All 12 Animals

On the 3rd page, color all 12 animals using their own special colors.
The tiger gets yellow and black stripes. Leave the rabbit and sheep white. Make the dragon green or blue, and color the rooster’s comb red.
It is also fun to find the animal for the year you were born and color it extra carefully!

Use Bright Colors for God

Choose elegant colors for God’s clothes, like white, light yellow, or purple.
If you color the clouds around God in gold or light pink, it will look like a happy celebration picture!

Remember the Story's Order

When you color the 3rd page, we recommend coloring them in the zodiac order: mouse, ox, tiger, and so on.
Every time you color one animal, ask yourself, "Who comes next?" That way, you will learn the zodiac order easily!
For tiny parts like the dragon’s scales or the rooster’s feathers, sharpen the tip of your colored pencil first so you don't go outside the lines.
When you finish coloring, find the animals for your family's birth years and talk about them together!

The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals Comes from Ancient China

The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals is based on 12 symbols. Long ago in China, people used them to show years, months, times of day, and directions.
Later, people added 12 animals to the symbols so they would be easier to remember.
They came to Japan a very long time ago, too. Even today, people enjoy them on New Year's cards and zodiac decorations.

Times of Day and Directions, Too

In old Japan, people used The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals to tell time, like "Hour of the Rat" or "Hour of the Ox."
Around 12 o'clock noon was called the "Hour of the Horse." That is why we still use the word for horse (Go) when we say "Gozen" for morning (AM) and "Gogo" for afternoon (PM).
Directions used them, too! North was the Rat, and South was the Horse.

The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals in Other Countries

The animals in The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals can be a little different depending on the country.
In Vietnam, there is a cat instead of a rabbit, and the ox is a water buffalo!
The cat did not make it into the Japanese story, so it is fun to know it is in other countries.

How to Count The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals

The Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals goes in a full circle every 12 years.
When the animal from the year you were born comes around again, it is your special zodiac year!
The year 2027 is the Year of the Sheep, so people born in the Year of the Sheep will celebrate their special year.