What an interesting month, yesterday it was Big furry animal day (Groundhog Day)
Today-Its Year of the Rabbit or Hare: if you were born in the years 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, you are part of the year of the Rabbit.
The Chinese New Year changes every year, on a different month and day each year depending on the animal, there are 12 of them . We have a very good book in our collection “The Animals of the Chinese Zodiac”: J 133.55 , that talks about the story of how it can to be.
The New Year is celebrated for 15 days , Unlike our New year – one night at 12:00 midnight. The first day of it starts on a New Moon then going on until it hit the Full Moon (around Feb. 18th) On a previous blog I mention the lunar cycle, (The Moon and the stars: Jan. 21). Many people believe that the rabbit symbol has connection to the Moon, as in our Horoscope – Cancer has connections to the moon.
The Year of the Rabbit is also called the Spring Festival. The color red is used lot to symbolize good luck and fire crackers are used to scare away bad-luck, the last day of the celebration ends with a lantern festival , where people parade the streets carrying lanterns. Another good book to look at is “The Chinese New Year” J 394.261
The year of 2011 is considered to be a year of PEACE
That would be nice!
Posted by: Margarita