Feasting, family reunions, fireworks. The Lunar New Year is one of the most important and anticipated celebrations for those worldwide who look to the moon to mark the start of their new year. It’s also the time that marks the beginning of a new Chinese Zodiac year, making 2023 the Year of the Rabbit. Here’s what that means for you and how to celebrate.
When is Lunar New Year being celebrated this year?
Many Asian communities—and the Chinese Zodiac—follow a lunisolar calendar instead of a Gregorian one. Lunisolar calendars rely on the moon’s cycles in addition to an annual solar return to mark the passing of time. In contrast, Gregorian calendars are based solely on the sun’s location in the sky.
That’s why Lunar New Year is observed at a different time each year—coinciding with the first new moon of a new solar cycle. This year, the Lunar New Year falls on Sunday, January 22, 2023.
Celebrations for Lunar New Year usually last for weeks, but the official Lunar New Year season is 15 days long, culminating with a Lantern Festival on the day of the full moon, which falls on February 5 this year.
2023: The Year of the Rabbit
Though our name isn’t based on the Chinese zodiac, we certainly don’t mind being associated with this year’s animal, the rabbit, which only comes around every 12 years. The rabbit shares the Chinese Zodiac with 11 other animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
The fourth animal in the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit symbolizes grace, beauty, mercy, and good luck.
The five elements of Taoism—earth, fire, wood, water, and metal—are also represented in the Chinese calendar. 2023 is a water year, which means 2023 is technically the year of the Water Rabbit.
Water qualities include creativity, sensitivity, and reflection, which makes this year’s water rabbits even more graceful and caring.
What Are Traits Embodied by the Rabbit?
It’s a happy coincidence that our Taskers embody many traits of the rabbit! (Maybe there is something to a name, after all).
Positive traits associated with those born in rabbit years are:
Those born in 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, and 2023 are all said to embody these qualities.
How to Observe the Lunar New Year at Home
Since the Lunar New Year represents rebirth, it’s the perfect time to harness that sentiment and refresh your home for the year ahead. You can even use techniques like Feng Shui, which uses the same calendar as the Lunar New Year.
Feng Shui
The practice of Feng Shui has its roots in ancient Chinese culture, stemming from the Taoist concept of chi—the life force that inhabits everything. It’s the art of arranging buildings and space to promote positive energy and keep negative chi away.
Whether or not you believe in the concept of chi, using Feng Shui generally leads to a more balanced, pleasing home.
Feng Shui involves dividing your home into nine areas (called a Bagua map) and using the five elements—earth, fire, wood, water, and metal—to balance the energy based on the Chinese calendar. Those who observe yearly Feng Shui periods will re-arrange the elements in their home at the start of the Lunar New Year. The Year of the Rabbit has unique Feng Shui considerations, which you can learn more about here.
Feng Shui is an advanced art, but learning about the five elements and their relationship to each other is a great place to start. If Feng Shui overwhelms you, browse interior design Taskers and look for one who understands Feng Shui to help you design your home.
Cleaning and Organizing
Leading up to the Lunar New Year, it’s customary to perform a winter cleaning called “sweeping away the dust” to prepare for the year ahead and let go of anything unnecessary from the year before.
But cleansing your space doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Start with decluttering room by room. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but the goal is for each item to have a place. Start with a junk drawer, then work your way up to an entire room. Or hire a Tasker to do it instead!
After you’ve decluttered, give yourself the gift of a deep clean to refresh your space. Cleaning isn’t just for Spring; the Lunar New Year is the perfect time to treat your home to a thorough scrub-down. Don’t want to do it yourself? Browse Cleaning Taskers here.
