If you haven’t read about or aren’t familiar with Chinese New Year celebrations, zodiac animals of the year, history, or myth, do check out my previous 2020 blog, 2021 blog, and 2022 blog. I try to provide fresh and/or new information yearly as beliefs, customs, and celebrations do change.
Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year) is January 22, 2023 this year, even though preparations have already begun. The first day of the Chinese/Lunar New Year can occur anytime between January 21 and February 20 because it occurs on the second new moon following the December winter solstice. New Year celebrations run for 16 days and culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 5th, 2023. However, only the first 7 days (January 22 through January 29, 2023) are considered a public holiday.
2023 is the year of the Rabbit, the fourth of all the zodiac animals. The Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace and prosperity. Whether it’s because the shadows of the moon resemble a rabbit or because of its “pure characteristics”, in Chinese culture, the rabbit represents the moon.
The years of the Rabbit are 2023, 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939, 1927. The Water Rabbit is the 2023 sign and this is predicted to be a year of hope.
An interesting factoid: Traditionally the Chinese calendar (which dates back to the 14th century BCE) is lunisolar: meaning that it is based on astronomical observations of the Sun’s sky position as well the phases of the Moon. Remember that the Gregorian calendar dates back to 1582. Several other calendars are also lunisolar. The Korean and Vietnamese calendars have also been influenced by the Chinese calendar.
Here’s a fun and interesting legend about the Rabbit. It was arrogant and proud about its speed and always made fun of the other animals, particularly the Ox because of how slow the Ox was. The Jade Emperor decided one day that he would have a party and that the zodiac order would be decided by the order in which the animals arrived. Rabbit got up early and started out first thing in the morning. When he arrived no other animals were present so he went off to the side and took a nap because he was the first to arrive. Unfortunately for the rabbit, three other animals (one of them the Ox) were there when he woke up!
Another version of the legend was that the Jade Emperor used the “race” to choose his personal guards. Either way the legend is told, the Rabbit is the fourth zodiac animal instead of the first!
The Rabbit is yin and its kindness and social skills make others think rabbits are soft and weak. Underneath, rabbits are confident, strong, and persistently move towards their goal. Rabbits are detailed oriented, conservative, careful, witty, vigilant, ingenious, and are very good at reasoning. Though rabbits are very social, they have trouble opening up to others. Plain and simple is simply not really their style!
Because the Chinese New Year is an ancient holiday, most traditions date back to thousands of years ago. Of course, traditions change and new ones arise. The most prominent is the Chinese New Year Gala, aka as the Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan). The focus of the gala is on promoting good ethics and customs, as well as giving a good idea of what Chinese culture is like. China Central Television (CCTV) broadcasts this premier TV variety show. CCTV aired its first live Chinese New Year program in 1983. The show normally starts at 8:00 PM on New Year’s Eve and runs for about 4 hours. The stage and shows change as technology changes.
Recently, the Gala has been live-streamed on websites such as YouTube. Many diaspora Chinese tune in to the Gala to reminisce about the Chinese New Year festivities of their youth. There is also an online pre-Gala which airs beforehand. This version features different celebrities in order to appeal to the younger generations.
Regardless of how and where people tune in, the Chinese New Year Gala will continue to be one of the most important nights of the year, full of happiness and hope.
Bottom line: let’s “hope” that the prediction of 2023 as a year of hope (something we all deeply need), will come true!
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