by Clare Liu

Do you know why roosters crow in the morning? The Miao minority group in southwestern China have an interesting story about it.

Once upon a time, there were seven suns and seven moons in the sky that took turns coming out to give people warmth and light. But one year, the seven suns and moons had a big fight, and each of them got furious. So every day and night, they all came out together. The heat destroyed almost everything. The rivers and lakes became dry, plants withered, and crops died.

A man named Nuo Ya got an idea of how to save the world. He used the trunk and branches of an old tree to craft a big bow and arrow. Then he went to climb the peak of the highest mountain to shoot the suns and moons. Before long, six suns and six moons were shot down. Nuo Ya decided to keep the last sun and moon, as he believed the male sun and female moon can make the world in balance. So he quit shooting and went home.

It was cooler at once without the six suns. However a new problem appeared: the sun and moon feared to be shot, so they hid and dared not come out. Without the sun and moon, it was dark, freezing, and scary.

People were so upset that they talked to Nuo Ya, Our life is in hell! Nuo Ya asked them, In this world, who has the loudest voice? We can send him to ask the sun and moon out. The men replied, A tiger’s voice is the loudest. After the tiger came, he roared to the sky like thunder, which only make the sun and the moon more scared.

Nuo Ya asked his people again, Whose voice is the most attractive in this world? The girls replied, songs of a rooster can intoxicate anyone’s heart. Why not let him to call out the sun and the moon?

After a good rest, the rooster got up very early the next morning to crow loudly to the sky. His intoxicating songs woke up the sun and moon. The rooster continued to sing. The sun slowly climbed in the sky and finally got to the peak of the mountain. The beautiful sunshine looked so amazing. People were so excited that they sang and dance around the proud rooster.

But the moon was still shy, and it only showed up in the evening.

Today, if you visit a Miao village, you will find almost every Miao family keeps a rooster at home.

About the Author:
C. Liu has been studying sterling silver jewelry, for years. She occasionally promotes the work of select artists. Go to her website to see great examples of fine silver jewelry.

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