What is the origin of the Zodiac Rabbit, the origin of the Zodiac Rabbit is short

The origin of the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac:

The Year of the Rabbit is determined according to the traditional Chinese calendar, and the "rabbit" in the zodiac corresponds to the Mao in the twelve earthly branches, and the Year of the Rabbit is the year of Mao, which is a reincarnation every twelve years. For example, the year 2011 of the Gregorian calendar basically corresponds to the Year of the Rabbit, that is, the origin of the 12 zodiac signs in the year of Xinmao is related to animal worship. According to the Qin Jane unearthed in Yunmeng Sleeping Tiger Land in Hubei Province and Fangmatan in Tianshui in Gansu Province, it can be seen that there was a relatively complete zodiac system in the pre-Qin period.

The origin of the Zodiac Rabbit is as follows:

Among the 12 zodiac animals, all six animals were selected, but the Rabbit Bridge clan was not among the six animals, so why was it also among the 12 zodiac animals? It turns out that the ancient rabbit was included in the sacrificial livestock, and in some records left in ancient times, there are incidents of rabbits being used for sacrifice.

Sacrifice is an extremely important event in ancient times, and the rabbit is listed as livestock, it also has a deeper cultural connotation, among the livestock sacrificed, cattle, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, plus horses, exactly six animals, and in fact, the ancient horse is a symbol of the combat effectiveness of a country's army, because of this, in the sacrifice, can not kill the horse, the rabbit replaces the horse.

The meaning and customs of the zodiac rabbit

"Rabbit" is a beautiful word in China. It is not only one of the zodiac signs of people, but also closely linked with human life, people's beautiful hopes, there is an idiom in China called "cunning rabbit three holes", the meaning is that the rabbit is smart, good at protecting himself, the rabbit is a smart animal sensitive and scattered, so the rabbit since ancient times often plays a witty role in folk tales, the cultural symbolism of the rabbit: witty, cautious, skillful.

Folk since ancient times have the custom of sticking rabbit stickers, "Miscellaneous Notes of the Year" said: "Ai for the tiger shape, or cut the ribbon for the little tiger, glued to the door, called "rabbit post". Folk believe that the rabbit has five virtues: benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, faith, the rabbit is the star of benevolence, its color is white, also known as the rabbit.

The legendary rabbit does not eat the grains of the world, only eats the insects and plants in the sky, in ancient times people believed that the rabbit can bring a bumper harvest to human beings, so the folk have the custom of rabbit post, and now the rabbit post is no longer a simple act of sending rabbits and asking for children.

About why there are rabbits in the 12 zodiac signs:

First of all, the rabbit is the fourth in the zodiac. The zodiac is the figurative representative of the twelve earthly branches, and the rabbit is quietly closed and the twelve earthly domination belongs to the "Mao", so the "Mao" time in the twelve hours of the day is from five o'clock to seven o'clock in the morning, also known as the "rabbit time".

Secondly, the 12 zodiac signs are also known as the 12 birds, the 12 genera, and the 12 earthly branches. In ancient China, the 12 zodiac signs were matched with the 12 earthly branches: the rat, the ugly ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the noon horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig, forming a set of stargazing, timekeeping, and chronological systems.

In the zodiac, all six animals were selected, but the rabbit was not among the six animals, why is it also among the zodiac? It turns out that in ancient times, rabbits were animals that were included in sacrifices. In some records that have been handed down in ancient times, there are incidents of rabbits being used as sacrifices.

Sacrifice was an extremely important event in ancient times, and the rabbit was listed as an animal, which also had a deeper cultural connotation. Among the sacrificial animals, cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, plus horses, are exactly the six animals. In fact, in ancient times, the horse was a symbol of the combat effectiveness of a country's army, therefore, in the sacrifice, the horse could not be killed, so the horse was replaced by a rabbit.

In many ancient documents, there are myths and legends about the rabbit and records, and the rabbit has become a symbol of happy marriage, well-being for future generations, and auspicious longevity. Since ancient times, rabbits have attracted people's attention and love for their gentle and well-behaved nature and soft and fluffy fur.

Rabbits have been considered auspicious animals since ancient times, commonly known as rabbits. "Spring and Autumn" mentions that "Yuheng stars scatter and become rabbits", and it is believed that rabbits are the embodiment of stars in the sky. Zhang Jun of the Jin Dynasty sang the praises of the white rabbit as an auspicious thing in the "Ode to the White Rabbit", and there is a detailed record in the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty - Emperor Guangwu Ji", and the rabbit in this period is often used as a gift to the emperor, symbolizing auspiciousness.

In addition, rabbits have the ability to reproduce quickly and have strong vitality, which is also considered a symbol of longevity.