Lunar New Year 2023: what awaits us in the year of the Rabbit?

SAN FRANCISCO (CGO) — The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is based on the cycles of the moon and falls on a different day each year. It marks the beginning of the new lunar calendar and the celebration of the arrival of spring.

The Year of the Rabbit in 2023 will be the first Lunar New Year celebrated in California as an official public holiday. For the first time in the US, this was done for the Asian community, which was done by California to show its solidarity with the Asian American community through the wave of anti-Asian hatred and violence that has surged since the COVID-10 pandemic.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a bill making Lunar New Year a public holiday. In his signature address, he wrote that the act “…recognizes the diversity and cultural significance that Asian Americans bring to California and provides an opportunity for all Californians to take part in the significance of the Lunar New Year.”

So, what is the year of the Rabbit preparing for us and what are the unusual characteristics of this year?

“This year will bring prosperity, hope and serenity due to the characteristics of the rabbit, we can expect relaxation, silence and contemplation,” says Dottie Lee, Rosetta Stone Mandarin vocal coach.

Here are three unusual facts about the Lunar New Year 2023:

This is the year of the black rabbit.

The cycle of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals rotates every lunar new year, with the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water rotating on their own cycle.

Each year, a unique combination of animals and elements is featured. This particular combination is believed to bring unique qualities and symbolism to the year. It takes 60 years for the same combination to appear again.

This year is the year of the Water Rabbit, also known as the Black Rabbit.

But why Black?

“In traditional Chinese culture, the color of water is actually black. That’s why it’s a “black rabbit,” but water also signifies good luck, and you’ll have a lot of luck this year,” Li says.

Double Springs this lunar year

Approximately every three years, a leap month (the 13th month) is added to the lunar calendar (usually of 12 moons in a cycle) to stay in sync with the solar calendar, resulting in two springs in the lunar yearly cycle when this occurs.

When this happens, it is believed in Chinese culture that luck and happiness are doubled that year.

Extra long lunar year

The beginning of what is considered the Lunar New Year holidays or the official Spring Festival, as the 15-day celebration is called, begins on January 22, 2023. The next Lunar New Year, Year of the Dragon 2024, starts on February 2nd. 10, 2024.

This is due to the addition of an extra month to the Chinese calendar every two to three years to catch up with the solar calendar.

This results in the Lunar New Year falling on a different date each year, with a much later date the following year than 2023.

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