January 22nd marks the start of the Lunar New Year in 2023! Happy new year! As we bid farewell to the Tiger, we greet the Rabbit which is the fourth sign in the cycle of twelve. It’s also aligned with the element of water. In Chinese culture, rabbits are the luckiest out of all twelve animals and they also represent the moon. In fact, one of my favorite old-school anime, Sailor Moon, features this idea. The famous character, Sailor Moon’s real name is Usagi (meaning “Rabbit”). Her full name, when said in the Japanese naming-order, Tsukino Usagi, gives two additional puns: No-Usagi (野うさぎ), meaning “wild rabbit”; and Tsuki no Usagi (月のうさぎ), meaning “Rabbit of the Moon”. The latter derives from an Asian folktale about a rabbit that is said to reside on the Moon.

Image credits: 藍麤 and juju0520 at Pixiv.net

The Lunar New Year is the start of a calendar year that follows the moon cycles, based on the lunisolar calendar. It’s observed all over East and Southeast Asia and even in the Middle East and cultures vary in their zodiac and traditions. Most commonly known as the Chinese New Year, it is also the Spring Festival, chunjie (春节). The first full moon of the lunar year marks the end of the new year celebrations and is known as the Yuanxiao Festival (元宵节) or Lantern Festival (灯节). Traditions of the New Year often include eating dumplings, receiving money, setting off fireworks, and decorating or wearing the color red. Red is for protection and fortune! My own personal tradition is to order take-out and practice a bit of origami.

Unlike the solar calendar which always begins the calendar year on January 1st, the Lunar New Year’s beginning can vary across the months of January and February. If you were born in the years: 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, or 203 then you are a Rabbit sign (depending on when the new year actually started).

Similar to the 12 Western zodiac signs, the Chinese zodiac, or shengxiao, is represented by 12 zodiac animal signs. The legend of the zodiac is that the Jade Emperor summoned the 12 animals to race to his palace for a banquet. The order of the zodiac is the order that they arrived at the palace: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Although, the rat was said to have cheated by riding on the back of the Ox before leaping in front across the finish line! Also, sometimes I have seen the Rabbit sign substituted as the Cat sign, specifically in regards to Vietnamese culture.

Rabbit people are kindness and gentle. Their quiet personality hides their confidence and strength. They strive to achieve their goals, no matter what. They have good reasoning skills and attention to detail, making them great scholars. They are social butterflies with an attractive aura, but find it hard to open up to others. Though conservative and careful in their actions, they need spontaneity in their life every so often to keep things exciting.

On top of the zodiac animals, the new year is tied to one of the five elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, or Wood based off of the Wu Xing philosophy. All the elements are interconnected and there is no hierarchy. The goal is simply balance and harmony. These elements bring out certain traits within the zodiac signs and some elements are more compatible with signs than others.

The element of Water represents the direction North, the planet Mercury, and can represent wealth and money. In Chinese Taoist thought, water is representative of intelligence and wisdom, flexibility, softness, and pliancy; however, an overabundance of the element is said to cause difficulty in choosing something and sticking to it. In the same way, water can be fluid and weak, but can also wield great power when it floods and overwhelms the land. According to my favorite horoscope app is Daily Horoscope (also in the App Store), this will be a year of acceptance, smoothness, and peace. It will be a lucky year where fortunes improve and turn things around in your life. I find this app in particular to be eerily accurate for my own readings. It provides both western and eastern zodiac readings, plus Druid. Check it out, it’s a lot of fun!

Lucky things for Rabbits

• Colors: red, pink, purple, blue
• Directions of auspiciousness: southeast
• Directions of wealth: northeast, southwest
• Numbers: 3, 4, 9
• Directions of love: east

UnLucky things for Rabbits

• Colors: brown, gray, white
• Numbers: 5, 11

Finally, a couple of books to enjoy that reference the Chinese zodiac are The New Astrology by Suzanne White and the Fruits Basket manga series.

Thank you for reading! Happy new year to all! May you be blessed with good fortune!