Year of the Rabbit: Get 2023 Lunar New Year predictions and find out the meaning behind this animal

SAN FRANCISCO– 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 a new lunar calendar and celebrates the arrival of spring.

The Year of the Rabbit for 2023 will be the first Lunar New Year celebrated as an official state holiday in California. It is the first time in the US that this has been done for the Asian community, an act by California to show its solidarity with the Asian American community through the wave of anti-Asian hatred and violence that has erupted in the wake of the COVID-10 pandemic increased.

VIDEO: “Rabbit on Parade” kicks off the Lunar New Year celebrations

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation declaring the Lunar New Year a national holiday. In his signature message, he wrote that this act “…recognises the diversity and cultural importance that Asian Americans bring to California and provides an opportunity for all Californians to participate in the meaning of the Lunar New Year.”

So what does the Year of the Rabbit have in store for us and what are some special features of this year?

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

MORE: What is Lunar New Year and how is it different from Chinese New Year?

Here are three unusual facts about Lunar New Year 2023:

It’s a Black Rabbit year

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

A unique combination of animals and elements is presented each year. This particular combination is said to bring unique qualities and symbolism to the year. It takes 60 years for the same combination to appear again.

This year we are in a “water bunny” year, 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 called “Black Rabbit,” but water also means good luck, and this year you will have good luck,” says Li.

Double Springs this lunar year

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

When that happens, in Chinese culture, it is considered double good fortune and luck in that year.

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Extra long lunar year

The beginning of what is considered the Lunar New Year holiday, or the official Spring Festival, as the 15-day celebration is known, begins on January 22, 2023. The next Lunar New Year, Year of the Dragon 2024, begins on February 22, 10th, 2024.

This is because an extra month is added 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, and for the next year a much later date than 2023.