How is theme important?

To some people, the moon garden is a theme in itself.  And, that can be very true.  Some folks will work a “moon” into the design by making crescent shaped” flower beds, or they will add interesting pots or tiles with moon shapes/designs on them.  There are some nice stepping stones on the Internet that have a full moon theme.  Or, you can buy a kit from your local craft store and make your own moon shapes.  In our garden, we have a little bit of iron yard art with the moon design.  And we have a windbell that has the kanji for "moon" written on it.   Amazon.com sells a “moon weathervane,” too. 

I added an extra element into our moon garden.  I love the Chinese Zodiac.  So, in our garden, we are hiding small, grey statues (between 12 inches and 14 inches in length) of all twelve zodiac animals.  Since the Chinese used a lunar calendar for their zodiac, it added another layer of symbolism. 

The Story of the Chinese Zodiac

There are variations of this tale.  Here’s the one I like!

In China’s distant past, there was once a Jade Emperor who wanted to measure time.  Being a very wise person, he developed a plan that would work. And he gathered the animals around him to explain.  He told them that there would be a race to his palace.  And, once there, they would have a grand banquet to celebrate.  The first twelve animals who arrived would have a year of the zodiac named after them.

The animals were very excited.  They gathered on the road and waited for the race to start.  Not long after the race began, the animals came across a swift river.  Just the idea of crossing it intimidated many of them.  The cat and the rat, who were best friends, were concerned because they were not strong swimmers at all.  They also noticed that they were much smaller than the other animals around them.  Being incredibly bright little animals, they decided to use their intelligence instead.  They asked the ox to give them assistance by giving them a ride on his back.   The ox, being a kind animal, easily agreed to this and let them sit on his back.

On the back of the ox, the cat and the rat could see everything very well.  The ox was getting across pretty easily, too.  But, when they were not quite half way across, the rat pushed the cat off of the ox and into the water.  The cat, who hated to be wet, had no choice but to swim back to where he had started. 

Once the ox was on dry ground again, the rat jumped off and made tracks for the Jade Emperor’s palace.  The slow-moving ox followed after.   Thus, the rat became the first year of the zodiac and the ox became the second.

The next animal to arrive was the tiger.  And, thanks to being in third place, he was made the third year of the zodiac.

The happy little rabbit jumped into the Emperor’s palace totally dry--which confused everyone.  The rabbit had discovered some floating wood and stepping stones to get himself across.

The next one to arrive was the dragon.  Now, the Jade Emperor was confused by this.  How could it be that a winged dragon came in fifth?  Couldn’t he just fly over the water?  So, he asked the dragon how come he didn’t arrive first because he could fly and swim (being a creature of both fire and water elements).   The dragon smiled and folded his wings back saying that he had to make it rain.  He noticed that some animals in desperate need of water.  And, along the way, he saw a rabbit struggling on a log.  So, he blew a gentle puff of wind so that the rabbit  would make it to the river bank.  The Jade Emperor told the dragon that he admired his hard work and awarded him the fifth position in the zodiac.

There was the unmistakable sound of a horse's hooves in the palace.  The Jade Emperor knew who to expect next.  However, before the horse could get to see the emperor, a snake slithered in, causing the horse to rear up.  So, the snake was able to make it to 6^th place followed by the annoyed horse who had to settle for 7^th.

Looking out the window, the Jade Emperor saw a small boat carrying three passengers:  the ram, the monkey, and the rooster.  They told the emperor about the way they had all worked together to get across the river.  The emperor was impressed by their teamwork and awarded the ram 8^th, the monkey 9^th, and the rooster 10^th place.

In walked the dog.  Now, the Jade Emperor was, once again, very surprised to see him this late because he was supposed to be one of the strongest swimmers.  He asked the dog why he was so late.  The dog, sheepishly replied, that he was having so much fun playing in the water—and that he really did need a bath after all—that he was delayed.  So, the year of the dog became the 11^th year in the zodiac.

There was only one place left.  And the Jade Emperor was curious about who that would be.  Soon, the palace was filled with sounds of grunting.  With respect, the boar walked up to him and gave a polite bow.  The emperor asked why he was late.  The boar said, with a bit of embarrassment, that he got a little bit hungry and stopped for a snack.  Well, maybe, it was a tad bit more than a snack.  Then, he got sleepy and took a quick snooze.  Well, maybe, longer than a snooze...  But, that made him fall behind the others and he had to run hard on his stubbly little legs.  The story made the Jade Emperor laugh.  So, being pleased with his final guest, he awarded the final year of the zodiac to the boar.

Now that all of the guests had arrived, they sat down to a wonderful feast.  And the animals ate their fill.

Going back to the cat who was tricked by the rat and pushed off into the water...  He never made it to the palace.  So, he never had a year named after him in the zodiac.  This made the cat very angry with the rat.  And, to this day, cats and rats have never gotten along.