Lunar New Year is just around the corner! In 2023 Lunar New Year's Day falls on Sunday 22 January. We have various activities, programmes, and events held in libraries between 23 January to 5 February to celebrate the traditional festival.
According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the Year of the Rabbit 兔年.
The Chinese zodiac consists of twelve zodiac animals, so it is called shi er shengxiao (twelve born resembling) 十二生肖. In order, the twelve zodiac animals are the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Pig. The lunar calendar is formed with repeated 12-year zodiac cycles.
would be one of the best explanations to children on how the twelve zodiac animals win their place when taking part in a great race. Bring your children to Lunar New Year bilingual storytimes at libraries to listen to a story based on this book.
In astrology, the zodiac represents the band of the sky based on the movements of planets. In Chinese astrology, the twelve zodiac signs represent the positions of Tai Sui (the God of Age) 太岁 star, an imaginary star. The imaginary star roughly corresponds to Jupiter which takes about twelve years to orbit the sun.
Chinese people believe that a person's birth year represented by a Chinese zodiac sign is associated with a particular position of the Tai sui star. The birth year determines the person's horoscope, personality, and marriage compatibility. In particular, the year of their birth sign year or the year of fate 本命年 is vital for people. A person in the year of their birth sign needs to be cautious in their behaviours and practices as their birth year offends Tai Sui and would trigger his curse. Wearing red can fend off bad luck and drive away evil spirits. Among various options, wearing red accessories like a bracelet made with red Chinese knots would be both an easy solution and a fashionable one.
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