Year of the Rabbit 2023: what you need to know about your zodiac sign (2024)

Are you a rabbit?

Click on your birth date for your Chinese zodiac animal

Birth Years: 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020

Rats are self-starters who have extraordinarily strong communication skills. They love being involved in their community and are both detail-oriented and artistic. They are also sensitive and intuitive, risk-averse, and tend to be quite organised.

In addition, Rats are resourceful, skilled, versatile, friendly, intelligent and charming. They are sensitive to the emotions of others but also stubborn. Financially, they like to save and can be stingy.

Birth Years: 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021

Hard workers at heart, intelligent and trustworthy, Oxes have no problem stepping up and taking responsibility, but they never seek flattery or to be the centre of attention. This often hides their talent, but they will get recognition eventually. They're honest and sincere, generally quiet, and not the most expressive emotionally.

Birth Years: 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022

Tigers are go-getters who are loyal and fans of luxury. They pride themselves on being free-thinking and come off as downright fearless. Fighters for justice and with high self-esteem, Tigers tend to make formidable leaders. They love a good challenge and adventure in life. They rarely feel tired. Sometimes, however, they make cheeky decisions and are difficult to control.

Birth Years: 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023

Rabbits are sincere in everything they do, only asking that others treat them the same way. To those who don't know them personally, the Rabbit's kindness can make them appear soft and weak. In truth, the calm personality of the Rabbit hides its confidence and strength.

Birth Years: 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024

Dragons are natural leaders, self-sufficient, outgoing, fierce and combative. They are also known for their loyalty to family and friends, and they adore adventure and romance. Although they may seem lazy at times, Dragons are quickly motivated by anything that interests them.

Birth Years: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013

Snakes have the best intuition and deep and complex minds, and if they love, they love with all their hearts. They are also humorous and sophisticated, but do not like to talk or think about small, everyday problems.

Birth Years: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

Horses are free spirits who need space to be themselves. They are full of energy, sometimes too much. Studious and athletic, they are strong believers in chasing dreams. Instead of wealth and fame, happiness is what motivates them.

Birth Years: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015

Goats make new friends effortlessly and tend to be incredibly perceptive and nurturing. They're peacemakers who prefer not to rock the boat, being patient, polite and persuasive. Their most notable feature is that they persevere in the face of any difficulty. They are strong and resilient, although their gentleness can be deceptive.

Birth Years: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016

Monkeys have no trouble starting a conversation with just about anyone. They crack people up with their light, engaging sense of humour, and love being in the spotlight.

Their most defining trait is their intelligence. As children, they win prizes and praise from teachers. As adults, they gain professional recognition and make great leaders. Due to this, they can be arrogant. They're often disrespectful and self-centred when making decisions. They are awfully competitive, which is both positive and negative.

Birth Years: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

Roosters are complex people who seem strong, but deep down, they need validation from loved ones. They are serious in their jobs and are direct and decisive in their actions. They are perfectionists and will directly criticise what they consider inappropriate.

Birth Years: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

Dogs are family- and service-oriented, direct, trustworthy, and unselfish. Despite how they act, they are worried and anxious inside. However, they won't let this stop them. Once they decide on something, no one can stop them.

Possessing a great sense of loyalty and sincerity, Dogs will do everything possible for the person they care about the most.

Birth Years: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

Although they are not spendthrifts, Pigs allow themselves to enjoy life. They love entertainment and indulgences. They are somewhat materialistic, but this motivates them to work hard. They are energetic and always enthusiastic, even for boring jobs. Given the opportunity, they will take positions of power and status.

The Five Elements Theory

The Five Elements Theory is a Chinese philosophy used to outline the relationships of everything in the universe between which interactions can occur. The five elements - wood, fire, earth, metal and water - are believed to be the fundamental elements of all these things.

The cycle of the five elements runs in a specific order and can be remembered by noting the different processes of creation and destruction that precede or succeed them.

The creating (generative) interactions are:

The Five Elements Theory asserts that the world changes according to the five elements generating or overcoming relationships. Generating and overcoming are the complementary processes - the yin and yang - of The Five Elements Theory.

Generating processes promote development, while overcoming processes control development. By promoting and restraining, systems are harmonised and balance is maintained.

Every year is associated with an element. To figure out which element is associated with your birth year, take the last number of your birth year. For example, 2023 is the water element, so those born in that year are Water Rabbits.

Using the Five Elements Theory to boost good luck

Lunar New Year calendar 2023

Lunar New Year celebrations traditionally last for 16 days, from Lunar New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival. In mainland China, the first seven days - from January 21 to 27 in 2023 - are public holidays.

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

January

February

Facts about Lunar New Year

A quarter of the global population celebrates it
More than 2 billion of the world’s 8 billion population will celebrate Lunar New Year in 2023. Countries that have public holidays during Lunar New Year include China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore and Brunei.

8 billion red envelopes
It wouldn’t be Lunar New Year without the tradition of giving red envelopes to children and single, young relatives. Every year, about 8 billion red envelopes are given within Chinese families worldwide. Each envelope contains an even denomination of cash or chocolate coins, which both symbolise good fortune and wealth for the new year.

Kung Hei Fat Choi
It is the most common greeting in Hong Kong during Lunar New Year. Kung Hei means congratulations, while Fat Choi means making a fortune. It is said that the phrase originated in the Guangdong region during the Self-Strengthening Movement (1861–1895), Chinese workers wished their foreign bosses prosperity during the New Year and thus achieve a greater share of the profits in the next term.

Lunar New Year taboos

Chinese people traditionally believe that a good (or bad) start to a year will affect the whole year and there are many things you should not do. Some of these taboos will only last for the first few days of the festival (such as getting your hair cut or washing your clothes or hair), while others run until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. They include: