The Chinese New Year begins with the rising of the second new moon after the winter solstice. Based on the lunar calendar, the Chinese horoscope is based on 28 constellations and takes 60 years to complete a cycle.
The dates of the Chinese New Year vary, but always fall between January 21 and February 20. For 2023, the holiday will begin on Sunday, January 22. On this date, also known as the Spring Festival, Chinese communities around the world celebrate the start of a new year. The festivities bid farewell to the old year and are meant to bring luck and prosperity in the new one.
The Chinese horoscope classifies people according to their year of birth, unlike the Western zodiac, which classifies them according to their day and month. In addition, it represents them with an animal, which conceptualizes the characteristics of their way of being, and assigns an element: metal, wood, water, fire or earth.
According to the calendar, this Chinese New Year 2023 will be represented by the Water Rabbit, an animal that symbolizes -among other things- alertness, wit and quick mind. It is worth mentioning that the birth years corresponding to this sign are: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 and 2023.
1. Goodbye Tiger, hello Rabbit
The Water Rabbit will take over the Water Tiger, an animal considered the greatest beast in China. It is a symbol of strength, courage and signifies the end of all evils and bad luck. People born under the Water Tiger sign (those corresponding to the years 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 and 2022) stand out for their courage and good attitude to challenge the challenges they face in life. They are kind people, although a little impulsive when it comes to making decisions. In love they tend to be cold people, but they love music and the arts.
The Chinese Year 2023 will affect rabbits born in 1963, having lived a full sixty-year cycle. Likewise, the rabbits of 1927 and those of 1987, will have to reflect on their lives and analyze what is really indispensable to them or what no longer adds to them. For the rest of the rabbits, this year will help them to learn not to let themselves be exploited and they could even become examples to follow.
2. The Rabbit personality
People born in the year of the Rabbit with the water element are friendly and kind par excellence. Likewise, they adapt easily to any conditions, although they also tend to be very influenced by others due to their weak mentality.
On the other hand, those represented by this animal are very dependent on the people they trust and, almost always, feel depressed once they lose their dependence. Therefore, it is important that they learn to be independent.
For rabbits, good luck will be in the numbers 3, 4 and 8, as well as those that contain them, such as 34 and 46. Their favorite days are the 26th, 27th and 29th of each Chinese lunar month. The colors to look for are pink, purple, blue and red. And their lucky months are Chinese lunar months 1, 4, 8 and 11. In addition, their flowers are banana lily and jasmine and their directions, east, south and northwest.
3. A tradition with more than 4,000 years
Chinese New Year is believed to date back to the 14th century BC, when the Shang dynasty ruled. Its origins are steeped in legend. The celebration is more than 4,000 years old and is based on the legend of Buddha, who summoned all the fauna of the earth and only 12 animals were presented: first the rat, then the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig.
Another story says that a monster named Nian (“Year”) attacked village populations at the beginning of each year. Nian was afraid of loud noises, bright lights and the color red. People used these things to scare the beast away.
