Chinese New Year in Sleepy Forest 🐰🧧 Rewind Bedtime Story

[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. I know it's not been long since we took down the twinkly fairy lights from Thanksgiving and Christmas, but we're putting them back up tonight. You know that we love a celebration here at Sleep HQ and we couldn't let the magnificence of Chinese New Year pass us by.

[00:00:40] So, in tonight's delightful tale, we are heading off to a party where we'll meet 12 very special guests. Yes, roll out the red carpet, the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are coming. Before we begin, a quick message for the grown-ups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more, you can join Coco Club.

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[00:02:05] Ever found yourself scratching your head over a big why or how? Then you'll love Who Smarted, one of the top-rated educational podcasts for kids and curious grown-ups too. In every episode, the trusty narrator takes kids on wild adventures to explore science, history and all kinds of curious topics. From what are marshmallows made of to why are hummingbirds so unique?

[00:02:34] You'll discover fun facts, play along with interactive quizzes and maybe even learn something new. Each episode is only 15 minutes, perfect for car rides, snack breaks or winding down after school. And if you're looking for a fun bedtime listen, check out the special episodes we created with the trusty narrator called The Story of Bedtime Stories. You'll find it over on their feed.

[00:03:02] Who Smarted is available on all major podcast platforms. Search for Who Smarted on Spotify, Apple or wherever you get podcasts. Hello, Koala Moon listeners. If you have babies and toddlers in your family, then this announcement is for you. I'd like to tell you about my other sleep show, Koala Tots. It's got all the magic of Koala Moon, but it's made especially for the littlest of listeners, babies and toddlers.

[00:03:30] Koala Tots is packed with soothing stories and calming rhymes, perfect for helping babies and toddlers sleep like a dream. Not only are the stories incredibly relaxing, but they have easy to understand language and gentle repetition designed to help with babies' cognitive development as they drift off to sleep.

[00:03:50] There's even appearances from some of the Koala Moon star favourites alongside the cutest episodes like How to Hug a Hedgehog and Nugget's Cozy Night. So search Koala Tots on your favourite podcast player and hit follow so you can find it easily night after night. As you hop into bed and get comfy, see if you can think of 12 different animals.

[00:04:17] Close your eyes and imagine 12 furry, scaly or hairy faces. Faces with long eyelashes. Or big eyes. Or maybe a snout. Okay, now let's imagine two buck teeth, long ears and a little pink nose and whiskers.

[00:04:44] Say hi to our little friend, Rue the Rabbit. We're meeting her on a day when she is especially excited to welcome in the new year with her friends. Let's see what they get up to. This is Chinese New Year in Sleepy Forest by Alicia Ainsley and edited by Wei Xiaowu.

[00:05:13] Tonight was a very special day for Rue the Rabbit. She was so very excited. She had waited 11 years for her turn to come around again. And it was finally here. It was finally time for the year of the rabbit to begin. Every year, when Chinese New Year came round, it was a different animal's turn to celebrate and throw a party.

[00:05:43] And Rue had big plans for her New Year's party this time. She was going to invite all of her friends in Sleepy Forest and have a big celebration full of food, games and fireworks. She wanted to celebrate the New Year in style. You see, in Chinese culture, each year is dedicated to a different animal of the Chinese zodiac.

[00:06:09] There are 12 animals in total and they are all very different. It all begins with the Year of the Rat, then the Year of the Ox, followed by the Tiger, the Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

[00:06:35] After 12 years, the cycle begins all over again. It had been 11 years since the last year of the rabbit and Rue had spent that time planning the perfect party for the occasion. As the Chinese New Year approached, she sent out invitations to all of her friends in Sleepy Forest. She designed them herself.

[00:07:00] The invitations were all decorated in her lucky colours of red, pink, purple and blue. They looked very beautiful and colourful and Rue had lots of fun designing them. She used her best ink pens to draw elaborate swirling designs on the borders of each invitation.

[00:07:25] And she wrote the details of the party in her smartest handwriting. The party was to be held at her warren in Sleepy Forest. The celebrations would begin at 7 o'clock and continue until midnight, when the firework show would mark the end of the night. It was important to Rue the Rabbit that everything ran smoothly on the night.

[00:07:53] She wanted the year of the rabbit to be the luckiest and most prosperous year yet. So she had to get everything just right. She had bought a brand new red dress for the party, and she had sent everybody's invitations in bright red envelopes to spread good luck near and far.

[00:08:20] As the day of Rue's party approached, she cleaned her warren and made sure it was spick and span for when her guests arrived. She wanted to sweep away all the bad luck that had built up over the past year, so that she could welcome in lots of good luck in the new year.

[00:08:40] She decorated her home with plenty of red lanterns and pictures, until her warren was absolutely brimming with colour. On the day of the party, as Rue hung up the last red lantern outside her home, one of her neighbours, Tilly the Toucan, flew by and landed by her side.

[00:09:08] Tilly gazed at all of the red decorations around Rue's home and asked, Why do you have so much red everywhere? Rue explained that red is the luckiest colour, and she wanted everyone at her party to be surrounded by good luck, so that they could have the best year ever. It meant a lot to Rue that the year of the rabbit was great for everyone.

[00:09:39] Tilly the Toucan was impressed. She didn't realise that it was such a special colour, and she vowed to wear something red for Rue's party that evening. Rue added, You could also wear the colours pink, purple or blue. They are lucky colours too. Tilly the Toucan flew off to get ready for the party.

[00:10:09] Once Rue's Warren was decorated accordingly, she set to work preparing the meal that she would share with all her friends. She prepared seven lucky foods for them all to eat to welcome in the Chinese New Year. She prepared dumplings, spring rolls, noodles and sweet rice balls called Tang Yuan.

[00:10:37] Plus, she made a rice cake named Nyang Gao, and picked lots of good fortune fruit for everyone to enjoy for dessert. Then she laid everything out in quantities of three and nine, her lucky numbers.

[00:10:59] With the table laid, the fireworks on standby, and her home looking beautiful, Rue was ready to don her red dress and welcome her guests. At seven o'clock, her guests started to arrive. As expected, her neighbours all turned up to join in the celebrations, including Tilly the Toucan.

[00:11:24] Following closely behind were her fellow friendly animals of the Zodiac, the rat, dog, ox, monkey, rooster, pig, dragon, snake, goat and horse. The last to arrive was Tang the tiger. Tang slunk into the room without saying hello to Rue the rabbit, and settled herself by the food table quietly.

[00:11:53] Tang observed the other guests at the party and watched them enjoying themselves. Tang was not particularly happy that the new year was here. The past year had been the year of the tiger, and Tang had enjoyed being the centre of attention for a whole year. Now that her time was up,

[00:12:19] and the lunar calendar was moving on to the new year of the rabbit, Tang was a bit disappointed. After a while of mingling with the other guests, Rue noticed Tang shying away in the far corner of the party. She hopped towards Tang to welcome her. Tang smiled a weak smile, as she said hello to Rue,

[00:12:48] before slumping down on the sofa. Do you want to dance? Rue asked Tang. The tiger was a fantastic dancer, and usually she was the first one twirling around on the dance floor. Tang sighed. Oh no, thank you. I don't feel in the mood for a party right now.

[00:13:17] Rue patted Tang on the arm, saying, There, there, and beckoned over the other animals of the zodiac. The ten other animals hurried to Rue, and Tang sighed, noticing their friend in need. Are you a little bit sad that your year is over? Rue asked, And Tang nodded her head.

[00:13:46] We all feel that way, when our turn comes around, Muacho the monkey piped up. Twelve years is a long time to wait, after all, Tang. The animals of the zodiac all nodded their heads understandingly. Gang the goat smiled kindly and said, But don't worry, Tang.

[00:14:12] It is such a treat when our year comes around, but it doesn't make any other year less brilliant or joyful. Ping the pig grinned and added, I think you may have the best year ever, if you started off dancing. Don't you want to dance? He asked Tang.

[00:14:43] Tang smiled a little smile back at Ping. The happy pig's grin was infectious. I do want to dance, she admitted. You're all right. Every year can be lucky for all of us, no matter which animal it belongs to. And you, you have waited twelve years for this, Rue.

[00:15:13] It's time to celebrate you. Thank you for reminding me. The animals of the zodiac all smiled at Tang reassuringly, before Rue offered her hand, pulled Tang up off the sofa, and towards the dance floor. Rue's neighbours in sleepy forest had been watching this all unfold,

[00:15:43] and they were perplexed. They didn't understand why Tang had become upset, or what the animals of the zodiac had been talking about. Tilly the toucan decided to ask the question they were all thinking. What do you mean Rue waited twelve years? Tilly asked,

[00:16:09] looking from each animal of the zodiac to the other. Why is the new year so important to you? Why is it so important whose year it is? Rue looked up at all of her zodiac friends who were trying to help. Tang the tiger appeared very sheepish now, and all of their sleepy forest neighbours

[00:16:37] looked to Rue expectantly. They didn't understand why it was so important to Rue, so she decided to explain. There's a reason why there is an order for the twelve Chinese zodiac animals, Rue began. It all started many, many years ago. Long ago,

[00:17:06] before any of us can remember, there was no calendar, and people didn't have a way of measuring time in the way we do now. There was no Chinese zodiac, and all animals were merely that, normal animals. One day, the Jade Emperor of China, ruler of heaven and earth, decided that it would be easier for everyone

[00:17:35] if he created a proper calendar. This zodiac calendar would consist of a twelve-year cycle, and he decided that he would name each year after twelve different animals. But he wasn't sure how to choose which animal to name each year after. After much deliberation,

[00:18:05] the Jade Emperor announced that he would host a race. All the animals of the world could enter. Whoever the first twelve animals were to arrive for the race would receive the great honour of having a year of the zodiac named after them. And whoever crossed the finish line first would have the first turn.

[00:18:35] Understandably, this news created quite the buzz around the animal kingdom, and many animals were eager to take part in the Jade Emperor's race. Despite their disagreements nowadays, at that time, the rat and the cat were best friends. They were both so excited to enter the Jade Emperor's race together,

[00:19:03] that they stayed up all night chatting and preparing for the race the next day. The cat was notorious for sleeping in late. He always got too comfortable in his cosy bed and struggled to wake up in the morning. The cat asked his friend, the rat, to remember to wake him up when he rose for the race. Then,

[00:19:33] they could approach the starting line together and both become animals of the zodiac. The plan was set between the two friends and they both went to sleep that night, eager for the following day. On the morning of the race, animals all over the world headed for the starting line of the Jade Emperor's race.

[00:20:04] The rat woke up and was so excited to enter that he ran out of the house without waking up his friend, the cat. The lazy cat remained in his comfy bed, sleeping deeply, blissfully unaware that his friend had forgotten to wake him for the race. That is why there is no cat

[00:20:33] amongst the animals of the zodiac. The cat was too busy snoozing to turn up for the race. This is also a reason why the rat and the cat are not friends anymore. Meanwhile, the rest of the world's animals headed to the start line. The first twelve animals to arrive were the ox, the dragon,

[00:21:02] the goat, the rabbit, the monkey, the pig, the snake, the tiger, the horse, the rooster, the dog, and, of course, the rat. The Jade Emperor announced that those twelve animals would all become animals of the zodiac. However, they still needed to compete

[00:21:32] in the race to cement their status in the running order. Whoever crossed the finish line and reached the Jade Emperor's palace on the riverbank first would earn the greatest honour of all to become the first animal of the zodiac, the animals would need to run far and cross a rushing river to reach

[00:22:01] the Jade Emperor's palace. It was a tricky journey and the animals would have to have their wits about them to complete the race. The race began and the twelve animals set off for the Jade Emperor's palace. The rat picked up a great pace and was hurtling straight towards the palace when he noticed how deep and wide

[00:22:31] the river was. The rat could not swim and he wasn't sure how he was going to cross. Then the rat looked to his side and noticed the great ox approaching the river bank. The ox looked very strong and the rat had no doubt that the ox would successfully make its way across the river safely. So

[00:23:00] the rat approached the ox and politely asked if he could help him cross the river. The kind ox was happy to help and allowed the rat to hop aboard his back. The powerful ox waded out into the water and swam against the strong current of the river. As the rat and the ox

[00:23:29] got closer to the shore they could see the Jade Emperor waiting on the steps of the palace for their arrival. Once safely on land the ox began to bound toward the Jade Emperor. The rat desperately wanted to win the race and become the first animal of the zodiac. So he seized his opportunity

[00:23:59] and jumped down from the ox's back scuttling towards the emperor as fast as he could. the rat reached the emperor just before the ox beating him at the very last moment. The jade emperor declared that the rat would be the first animal of the zodiac and the ox

[00:24:28] came a close second. The ox didn't mind being beaten to first place. second place still proved how strong he was. Following closely behind the rat and the ox came the tiger. The tiger powerfully swam upstream pushing against the strong waters to achieve third place.

[00:24:59] Next along came the rabbit. The only way that the rabbit could cross the stone to stone to reach the other side. However, halfway across, the rabbit realized that there were no more stones to jump onto. The rabbit looked around for assistance and spotted a big

[00:25:29] wooden log floating down the river. The rabbit waited for the log to float past and expertly hopped on top of it and clung on tight. Surprisingly, the log drifted quickly down the river and the rabbit leapt off onto land when she was close by. The rabbit raced

[00:25:59] to the palace and the jade emperor congratulated her on coming in fourth place. The jade emperor looked up at that moment and saw the dragon approaching. The jade emperor was very surprised. He thought that the dragon would have come in first place since he could fly. What took you so long? the

[00:26:29] jade emperor asked the dragon. The dragon explained that he had been on his way but he noticed a community of farmers in trouble as he passed by. The farmer's crops were withering from drought so the dragon had stopped to send rain to the farmer's land to help their crops grow again. Then when the dragon

[00:26:58] reached the river he had seen the rabbit struggling to cross as the stepping stones ran out. So the dragon had used his mighty breath to blow a log downstream for the rabbit to jump onto. Then the dragon had blown the log across to the other side so that the rabbit could safely reach land.

[00:27:29] The jade emperor was so impressed by the dragon's kindness that he declared him the fifth animal of the zodiac. Not far behind the horse could be seen making its way through the river. Everyone thought that the horse would come in sixth place but just as the horse was trotting towards

[00:27:59] the finish line the smiling snake appeared out of nowhere. The cheeky snake had secretly coiled itself around the horse's hoof to make its way through the river. Just as the horse was about to reach the finish line the snake surprised everyone by jumping out and beating

[00:28:29] the horse right at the last second. The snake became the sixth animal and the horse begrudgingly became the seventh animal of the zodiac. The next three animals all arrived together. The rooster, the monkey and the goat had all found it difficult to cross the river. Thankfully with a bit of teamwork

[00:28:58] and quick thinking, the three of them had masterfully concocted a plan to cross the waters safely. The rooster had found a raft, the goat ate a path through the grass towards the river and the monkey steered the raft across the waters. The jade emperor was and announced

[00:29:28] the goat eighth, the monkey ninth and the rooster tenth in the zodiac line-up. The dog came in eleventh place and the jade emperor was very confused once more. Why did it take you so long when you're such a good swimmer? The jade emperor asked the dog. The dog woofed

[00:29:58] and explained that the water was so refreshing and it had been so long since he had a bath that he couldn't resist the urge to splash around in the river. The dog had spent so long enjoying the water that he had turned up in eleventh place. The jade emperor waited and waited for the final animal

[00:30:27] to cross the finish line. The pig was taking so long that the jade emperor almost gave up waiting. Right at the last moment the pig arrived. I'm sorry I'm late. The pig apologized. I had to stop for a snack and then lunch and then

[00:30:57] an afternoon snack and then dinner and then I felt so sleepy that I had to take a little nap. What's for supper? The jade emperor and all the other animals giggled and the pig was just in time to be the twelfth animal of the zodiac. Ever since that day each year has been dedicated

[00:31:27] to one of the twelve animals in the order they completed the race. That is how the Chinese zodiac came to be. As Rue the rabbit finished telling the story of the Chinese zodiac, her neighbors in sleepy forest finally understood why this new year was so important to

[00:31:56] her. It's almost midnight everyone Mocho the monkey announced excitedly. Rue the rabbit ushered everyone outside into the woods of sleepy forest for her final treat of the night. They all stood outside together in the cool night air and looked up above the trees at the moon and

[00:32:26] the starlit sky. Are you all ready? Rue asked eagerly. All of Rue's sleepy forest friends and her fellow animals of the zodiac began to count down. Ten nine eight seven six five four

[00:32:55] three two one the sky above sleepy forest suddenly became filled with hundreds of colourful shimmering fireworks. They zoomed and blasted through the sky and popped and fizzled as their glittering sparks erupted

[00:33:24] and crackled away. They all stood together and wished each other a happy new year of the rabbit. Tang the tiger gave Rue a big hug and wished her a happy and prosperous year. As Rue and all her friends admired the glorious

[00:33:54] light show in the winter night sky Rue smiled to herself. She could tell that it was going to be a wonderful year and she was delighted to have been able to celebrate the Chinese New Year with her friends and introduced the celebrations to her neighbors. Everybody had a

[00:34:24] fabulous time at the party and by the time they all went their separate ways to their homes for bed. It was way past midnight. Rue wandered back into her colorfully decorated warren and looked around. All of the food had been gobbled up gratefully and the decorations still

[00:34:54] hung down from the walls and ceiling marvelously. Her home which earlier on was filled with chatter laughter and music was now peaceful and silent. Rue let out a big yawn and rubbed her eyes. She was so tired and couldn't wait

[00:35:24] to curl up in bed. She would clean up in the morning. Rue walked through into her bedroom and climbed under the duvet covers. She wrapped them around her furry body and she wiggled her delight. Her bed was so toasty and warm and her mattress and

[00:35:54] pillow were delightfully squishy and comfortable. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and sighed contentedly. Rue's New Year party had been a great success and as she peacefully drifted off to dreamland she reimagined the jade emperor's race

[00:36:24] that had occurred all those years ago. She dreamt of running and running through the blades of grass and drifting away on a big wooden log down the stream with a gentle dragon's breath safely guiding her to shore.