This year, 2023, is the year of the rabbit. More specifically, it’s the year of the black water rabbit. And while Chinese New Year starts on Jan 22 this year, the Chinese zodiac year doesn’t start until Feb 4. So, any baby born on or after Feb 4 is a Rabbit. Why don’t the two beginnings fall on the same day? The Chinese new year follows the lunar calendar and the Chinese zodiac follows the astrology calendar. Each year, the first day of the new astrology year is marked as the first day of spring (or Lichun) when the sun reaches the 315th celestial longitude degree.

Why is it a black rabbit? The year 2023 is associated with the water element in the Chinese five elements and the color black is what’s associated with the water element, which gives us the black water rabbit.

According to Chinese Fortune Calendar: “Rabbit is a shy animal … Rabbit’s characteristics are cautious, elegant, artistic, talented, friendly, popular, kind, reserved, and compassionate. Rabbit is also conservative, self-indulgent, composed, wary, and superficial. Rabbits are perfectionists. They like to plan things and seek out the best.”

The sight also explains: “The most compatible Chinese Zodiac Signs to Rabbit are the Dog, Tiger, Pig, and Sheep. Rabbit has a love relationship with Dog in Chinese Horoscopes. Rabbit and Tiger have an attractive relationship because of Wood. The Rabbit should follow the leadership of the Tiger. Rabbit and Pig also have an attractive relationship with Wood. So Pig will live in harmony with Rabbit. Sheep will have common interests in art or music with Rabbit.”

Famous Rabbits include Michael Jordan, Robin Williams, Bob Hope, Tiger Woods, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Jeff Bezos, Lionel Messi, Maria Sharapova, Whitney Houston, and Jet Li.

Images: Pexels

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新年快乐!

I’m particularly pleased to wish you a happy new year, dear readers, since this is my birth year; I am proud to be a monkey. (From which you will deduce that I turn twenty-four this year. Ahem.) What is it they say about monkeys? “Wise, intelligent, confident, charismatic, loyal, inventive…” Yup, that’s definitely me.

So of course this year will be very fortunate for me. What’s that? What do you mean it won’t? Oh. Apparently Monkey years are unlucky for people born in Monkey years. We Monkeys are so mischievous and troublesome that when we run into each other, one of us has to keep his head down, or there’ll be shrieking and baring of fangs. Since 2016 is unlikely to stay out of my way, it follows that I have to pass through the year as unobtrusively as possible.

But wait. Master Tsai, esteemed provider of online horoscopes, holds out a shred of hope.

“Monkey is in the Metal group. Monkey year will bring more Metal to you. If you already have too much Metal in your astrology birth chart, then you won’t do well in the Monkey years. If you have only a few Metal in your birth chart, then the Monkey always brings you good luck.”

Quick, I have to find out how much Metal I have in my birth chart! I enter the details, and discover that I am now a Green Sheep. This is disappointing; I definitely preferred being a monkey. What other wisdom does Master Tsai have to offer?

“The events in this month are related to independence, expansion, lost, plot, complex, challenge, simplicity, competition, egotism, friendship, separation and decision… You might need medical care if you don’t feel well.”

It’s difficult to argue with Master Tsai. And I’ve written before about how susceptible people are to this sort of personality analysis. It’s called the Forer Effect; we tend to believe that statements which apply to everybody are specific to us. After all, who doesn’t think they’re wise, intelligent, confident, charismatic, loyal, and inventive?

So maybe I won’t need to keep quiet in 2016. (It would make my job rather difficult if I did.) And to you, the wise, intelligent, confident, charismatic, loyal, inventive readers of beijingkids, I wish the best of fortune for the coming year. And not too much Metal. Unless Metal is what you want, in which case I wish you lots of Metal. Rock on, dudes.