Chinese New Year 2011: Year of The Rabbit
[source: Bukisa]
We are leaving the Year of the Tiger, for the Year of the Rabbit, which begins on the 3rd of February. Read on to discover what the Chinese New Year means for us all.
The Year of the Rabbit – you are a Rabbit if you were born in Feb –Jan of the following years:
1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011
The Chinese New Year
Is based on the Lunar Calendar and is the most important celebration of the Chinese Calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival, and is celebrated on the first day of this lunar month, for just over a fortnight.
Family and friends are vitally important at this time, just as they are at Hogmanay in Scotland, and, also similar to Scotland, most people take New Years Eve to ‘spring clean’.
Like most festivals the world over, food plays a large role in the Chinese New Year (including the Eve), and New Years Day tends to be a meat-free day for many Chinese families.
Red is often worn, as it wards off evil spirits, and a red envelope greets many, an offering of money and little gifts. At the end of the festival, around 15 days after the New Year, the Lantern Festival occurs, where lit lanterns are carried along the streets. Rice dumplings are often served on the last day of festivities.
The Year of the Rabbit
The Rabbit is the fourth animal in the Chinese Zodiac and is one of the friendliest animals. 2011 is a Metal Rabbit. The Rabbit is also a symbol of longevity, and of fortune, tranquillity and clarity.
Those born under this sign are said to be kind, generous, talkative, friendly, beautiful and wonderful negotiators. On the flip side, they can be over-sensitive and very sentimental.
What the year will bring
Rabbit follows on from Tiger. Tiger is one of the most ferocious signs, and conflict is one of the main focus’s in the Tiger year. The Rabbit is the break after the storm, the time of peace and rest. It is the year of diplomacy and comfort. It can also be a time of prosperity, which we could all do with.
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