Chill Out, It’s the Year of the Rabbit

The Lunar New Year is upon us, and this year we are welcoming the fourth animal of the Chinese zodiac: the Rabbit. Let’s look at what it has in store for us.

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White rabbit

This past Sunday, January 22nd, marked the start of the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year. This observance is primarily celebrated over the course of several days by Chinese diasporas and East and Southeast Asian communities, but is well-known throughout the world.

If you’re not familiar with the Chinese New Year, it highlights the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar, which signifies both the phase or position of the moon and the time of the solar year.

Another prominent part of the lunar calendar, as well as in today’s pop culture, is none other than the 12-year Chinese zodiac calendar. To elaborate, each lunar year is represented by one out of twelve zodiac animals: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (goat or ram), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig – all in that order.

chinese zodiac wheel - year of the rabbit
IMAGE VIA EMMA KUMER/RD.COM

Based on when you were brought into this world, your year will correspond to one of the zodiac animals listed above. So if you were born in, say, 1982, your year would fall under to the zodiac Dog. This year marks the year of the Rabbit: the fourth of all the zodiac animals. Since I was born in 1999, this would also make it my zodiac year!

With that being said, let’s get into what the Year of the Rabbit has to offer.

Year of the Rabbit 兔年 2023

With the arrival of the new year comes new fortunes, so as we hop our way into 2023, we’re all just desperate to know what it is this year has in store for us.

According to The Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Rabbit is not a time for us to give in to those high-risk impulses, but to focus on building our finances and making deeper connections with the people we love. Overall, this year is meant to symbolize peace, prosperity, and longevity. Not bad.

Taken on Jan. 27, 2011.
In Ningbo, China a tiger cub and a rabbit are held by two children during a ''shift exchange'' ceremony at Youngor Zoo. 2010 was the year of the Tiger and 2011 was the year of the rabbit in China.
IMAGE VIA ZHANG PEIJIAN/WSJ.COM

Unlike last year’s tumultuous (and, of course, courageous) Year of the Tiger, we can safely say this year will be a time for us to relax, be gentle, and just focus on appreciating the little things in life. Like rabbits, for example.

Rabbit Characteristics

If any of you have ever cared after a rabbit, you would understand that their demeanor is generally on the gentler, quieter side. According to Chinese astrology, they are much more than your average light-footed scamper.

As stated by Fefe Ho and Chloe Chiao, the zodiac Rabbit’s kindness often deems them as too soft, timid, and weak overall. Ironically enough, the Rabbit’s quiet, cool, and gentle demeanor is actually how they may conceal–protect, even–their confidence and strength. This allows them to reach their goals despite any negativity they may face. In other words, they work smarter, not harder.

The Water Rabbit

So you know a little bit about the zodiac animals and that of the Rabbit–great. But there’s a bit more to the Chinese zodiac signs than that. In coordination with the twelve zodiac animals, the years also cycle through the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Multiply this by that and you get a 60-year calendrical cycle.

IMAGE VIA XIOMARA DEMARCHI/CANVA

Long story short, each year is tied to a specific element, but each animal has a “fixed” element as well. For 2023, the imbued element for us rabbits is Water; however, the Rabbit’s fixed element is always Wood. In a sense, water nourishes wood (think of trees) and allows it to grow, therefore, we’ll be seeing a very strong Wood Year this time around.

fortune and feng shui - year of the water rabbit
IMAGE VIA AMAZON

If you’re interested in learning more about this year’s Year of the Water Rabbit, Lillian and Jennifer Too’s Fortune and Feng Shui divulges everything you need to know to make the most out of your luck and, more importantly, how to improve it.

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