Sunday, January 22nd is Chinese New Year! Year of the Rabbit!

1/18/2023 9:26 pm

Legend has it that in ancient times Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve animals came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that people born in each animal’s year would have some of that animal’s personality traits. This year, 2023, is the Year of the Rabbit.

The Chinese New Year for 2023—the Year of the Rabbit —starts on Sunday, January 22, and begins the 15-day Spring Festival. Based on a lunar rather than solar calendar, the Chinese New Year varies from year to year, but always occurs between January 21 and February 21. The Chinese New Year is celebrated by almost one-third of the world’s population. People in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, North Korea, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, and Singapore, plus many in Western countries like the United States, Canada, England, Germany, and Australia, will all mark the new year on January 22.

Understanding the Chinese Zodiac Let’s start with finding out Who’s Who on the Chinese Zodiac Calendar. It shows the years, the animals, and the characteristics associated with each of the signs. According to the Chinese zodiac, years are arranged in cycles of 12, and each cycle is named for an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. People born in the year represented by a certain animal are thought to have the characteristics of that animal. Recent Rabbit years are 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023. The Rabbit is considered to be one of the luckiest of the 12 zodiac animals, so if you were born in a Rabbit year, lucky you!But why is 2023 considered the Year of the Rabbit? Let's see what theUnderstanding the Chinese Zodiac Let’s start with the It shows the years, the animals, and the characteristics associated with each of the signs. According to the Chinese zodiac, years are arranged in cycles of 12, and each cycle is named for an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. People born in the year represented by a certain animal are thought to have the characteristics of that animal. Recent Rabbit years are 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023. The Rabbit is considered to be one of the luckiest of the 12 zodiac animals, so if you were born in a Rabbit year, lucky you!

Lucky foods are served during the New Year festival so that the coming year will be filled with good fortune. A food is considered lucky based on the pronunciation of its name or its appearance. Fish, which sounds like surplus in Chinese, is an auspicious symbol. Eating fish—perhaps one on New Year’s Eve and one on New Year’s Day—will bring a surplus year after year. Chinese dumplings stuffed full of good things are another popular New Year’s treat. They are arranged in lines on a plate, never in a circle. A circle of dumplings means that one’s life will go in circles and they will never get anywhere or achieve their goals. Legend has it that the more dumplings a person eats during the New Year’s celebration, the more money they will make in the upcoming year. Oranges and tangerines, because of their full, round shape and lucky golden color, are also popular at the New Year celebration. The Chinese word for orange sounds the same as the word for success, so these bright citrus fruits are considered lucky.