THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT

The tiniest amount of cultural insight

So, it is the dawn of the latest Year of the Rabbit. I have had very few dealings with the culture of the Far East in my lifetime apart from buying myself the odd takeaway and acquiring some Boading Balls once upon a long ago, as well as seeing the odd Dragon Dance and strolling through a couple of Chinatowns around the world.

Very few of my close circle of friends and acquaintances over the years have had their origins in that part of the world which, I suspect, is my loss. The Chinese New Year celebrations have, however, become a familiar part of the annual cycle of my life in that I am at the very least aware of it, so it must have a fairly strong international influence to have penetrated through to even this rural backwater.

The twelve year cycle - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog & Pig - weaves its way through time and the Year of the Rabbit is the fourth of the series which means that most of the people born in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 

and during the next twelve months will be considered to be born under the sign of the Rabbit, although I understand that neither a contract with Playboy Magazine nor a life as a poacher will be a compulsory career option, and you are not automatically destined to turn out to be a “bunny boiler” either, or someone who compulsively run-rabbit-runs away, if that makes you feel better.

According to my less than extensive researches, being born under this sign will make you turn out to be articulate, talented and ambitious (so I probably won’t get on with most of you then), if you believe in such things. Whether this means that any articulate, talented, ambitious people you meet who turn out not to be Rabbits are merely faking it is not for me to say.

Maybe they’re just lying about their age.

Actually, Rabbitfolk are supposed to be most compatible with Rams, Pigs and Dogs, or rather people 4, 7 or 8 years younger or 4, 5 or 8 years older (and you can add the twelves to that yourself if you want to work any of the others out…). I suppose that this is not too very different to the idea of fire signs and so forth in Western Astrology (which, of course, is also a very popular belief system for some).

Not only do the Rabbitfolk apparently have the traits I’ve already touched upon, but they are also supposed to have excellent taste (and Rabbit is, I’m told, very tasty…), be virtuous (not a trait generally associated with rabbits in my experience if the phrase “at it like rabbits” has any meaning...), and are trustworthy. They are also supposed to be lucky with money (I wonder if that’s why we think their feet are…) and yet not generally gamblers. Their general genius for all matters financial makes them good at business and conscientious and, apparently, they will never, ever back out of a contract (so, if you want to sell your house, sell your hutch to a Rabbit) because they have a knack for picking the right thing (not my house, then…) and are generally considered to be wise people. They also seldom lose their tempers (I am definitely not a Rabbit-person then…), and are kind and tactful, despite liking a good old gossip.

With all this going for them, it makes you wonder why the rest of us bother really, doesn’t it?

My lot, (The Dragons- I think my Welsh roots might be showing…) for example would appear to be lucky to reach our teens as we are apparently eccentric, excitable, short-tempered and stubborn....

(Hang on there might just be something in this!)

…healthy and energetic…

(Oh, as you were…)

…and never borrow money or make flowery speeches…

(Many doubts creeping in now…)

…as well as being honest, soft-hearted, sensitive, brave (Hah!) and inspiring of both confidence and trust…

(Maybe my mother lied about my age…)

So… rabbits… Will all the children born this year have ongoing feuds with a red-haired tiny man with a huge moustache, a duck and a stammering huntsman? Will the boy rabbits occasionally dress up as girl rabbits for comic effect? Actually, it’s statistically probable that over the course of their lives some of them will…

I’ve heard tell that some women can be made very happy by their Rabbits, but I suspect that a naïve young chap such as myself should not know of such things…

Let’s just hope that the year doesn’t go a little bit “Night of the Lepus” rather than “Watership Down” (Altogether now... “Bright Eyes!”).

Near to my house there is a gentleman who used to keep a lot of rabbits. We called him (with startling originality, I think you’ll agree) “Rabbit Man” until we knew him better, but (as far as we know) he was never a Superhero. It also turns out that I have relatives who also keep a fair number of rabbits, so sometimes you find that you have more in common with people than you might at first think.

“Gung Hay Fat Choy!” or, if you prefer  “Nian Kuai Le!”