To greet 2020 (庚子年 the year of gyeongja, the 37th year of the sexagenary cycle), the year of the rat, National Folk Museum of Korea is holding a special exhibition "Even a Rat Has Its Day" to illuminate the cultural representation of rats and its change through time.
Rats are prolific, and they are moving quickly and diligently when searching for food. These ecological characteristics not only have made them occupy the first place among the twelve zodiac animals but also enabled them to be represented positively in our folklore as the symbol of fertility, prosperity, wisdom and diligence. At the same time, rats are hated and avoided since they cause damage to our lives, gnawing away our grains and carrying infectious diseases.
The special exhibition, Even a Rat Has Its Day, is a rare opportunity to share many different stories about rats which are seldom noticed in everyday life. It is expected that this exhibition could give a chance to understand various cultural meanings entangled with this special animal. In addition, we hope every family could be blessed with abundance which the rat is believed to bring in the year of gyeongja.
The Rat, Smart and Prolific Animal
The rat is the first animal in the twelve zodiac animals, the smallest and the least important. But they are prolific breeders and symbols of fertility and prosperity. In an agricultural society, fertility and prosperity means great harvests and thus in Sesigi (the Record of Seasonal Customs) of the Joseon period, it is recorded that on the high rat day (the first rat day of the year), people wished for a good harvest by giving away rat pouches. And the custom of attaching the talisman with the drawing of "鼠", a Chinese letter meaning rats, is still being practiced to wish for a great harvest.
Rats are also depicted as intelligent animals in our oral tradition. Changsega (Song of the Creation of the World), a shamanic song from Hamgyeongdo area, has a story of a rat which taught Maitreya the origins of water and fire. Although we cannot identify the origin of this song, it seems that rats have been considered wise animals from ancient times. The tale about how the rat took the first place among the twelve zodiac animals also shows us that rats are very clever.
The Rat, a Cute and Friendly Character
Rats were commonly seen in many parts of our lives, such as in the house or on the street, but not any more these days. Now rats or mice are not so much a negative, harmful pests causing trouble to humans. Rather, they are portrayed as smart, nimble, tiny and cute animals friendly and familiar to humans.
In an animation series Tom and Jerry, Jerry the mouse is described as a cute and smart character who always outwits Tom the cat. Recently aired on TV, an animation series with the twelve zodiac animal characters Ghost Mecard has presented a rat character Norgee who is a genious and loved by many kids. Thus, rats seem to establish their niches in the contemporary generations as friendly and familiar characters.
