The Chinese New Year, or the Lunar New Year, is a huge festival not just in China but all over East Asia. The celebrations last around two weeks – with a whole 7 days off work for most Chinese workers!
This year, on 22nd January 2023, welcomed in the Year of the Rabbit. This is said to bring forth a year of calm, peace and prosperity.
It is a time of coming together, giving small gifts and expressing respect and gratitude to others. In this article, we will take a look at the Chinese Year of the Rabbit jewellery.
What are the Chinese Zodiac Animals?
The Chinese Zodiac centres around 12 Zodiac Animals – the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
According to Chinese legend, the Jade Emperor summoned all the animals to his palace in a race. The order in which they arrived at the Emperor’s palace is indicated by their place in the zodiac years.
Each of the zodiac animals have their distinct personality traits – their strengths and weaknesses.
Chinese culture takes the zodiac very seriously and births, marriages, compatibility tests, career paths, plus auspicious times for important ceremonies can all be centred around the Chinese Zodiac.
I remember regularly reading a delightful children’s book “The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac“, with my son when he was young and we had great fun placing which Chinese zodiac animal each of our family members were! It was surprisingly accurate!
If you would like to know what zodiac animal you are, the table below should help.
Chinese Zodiac Year and Animals – Which One Are You?
| Zodiac Animal | Years | Most Compatible With | Lucky Colours | Least Compatible With |
| Rat | 1924,1936, 1948, 1960,1972,1984, 1996,2008,2020 | Ox, Dragons & Monkeys | Blue, gold, green | Horse, Rooster |
| Ox | 1925,1937,1949, 1961,1973,1985, 1997,2009,2021 | Rat, Snake, Rooster | White, yellow, green | Tiger, Dragon, Horse & Sheep |
| Tiger | 1926,1938,1950, 1962,1974,1986, 1998,2010,2022 | Dragon, Horse, Pig | Blue, grey, orange | Ox, Monkey, Tiger, Snake |
| Rabbit | 1927,1939,1951, 1963,1975,1987, 1999,2011,2023 | Dog, Monkey, Pig. | Pink, red, purple, blue | Rooster, Snake |
| Dragon | 1928,1940,1952, 1964,1976,1988, 2000,2012 | Rooster, Rat, Monkey | Gold, silver, grey | Dog, Ox, Sheep |
| Snake | 1929,1941,1953, 1965,1977,1989, 2001,2013 | Dragon, Rooster | Black, red, yellow | Pig, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake, Sheep |
| Horse | 1930,1942,1954, 1966,1978,1990, 2002,2014 | Rabbit, Tiger, Sheep, Rooster | Green, yellow | Rat, Rooster, Ox, Horse |
| Goat | 1931,1943,1955, 1967,1979,1991, 2003,2015 | Horse, Rabbit, Pig | Brown, red, purple | Ox, Tiger, Dog |
| Monkey | 1932,1944,1956, 1968,1980,1992, 2004,2016 | Snake, Ox, Rabbit | Green, red, purple | Tiger, Pig |
| Rooster | 1933,1945,1957, 1969,1981,1993, 2005,2017 | Dragon, Ox, Snake | Gold, brown, yellow | Rabbit, Rooster, Rat, Horse, Dog |
| Dog | 1934,1946,1958, 1970,1982,1994, 2006,2018 | Rabbit | Green, red, purple | Dragon, Rooster, Sheep |
| Pig | 1935,1947,1959, 1971,1983,1995, 2007,2019 | Tiger, Rabbit, Snake | Yellow, grey, brown, gold | Snake, Monkey |
The Personalities of the Zodiac Animals
Rat
Rats are clever, organised and love saving. They are ambitious and often successful types.
Ox
Those born in the year of the Ox are hard workers and very responsible. They are stoic, quiet and patient, shouldering responsibilities and problem without people realising it.
Tiger
Tigers are brave, competent and confident. They are born leaders.
Rabbit
Those born in the year of the rabbit are elegant, kind, and quick-witted. They are often quiet, calm and successful.
Dragon
Dragons are confident, intelligent and artistic. Some think of them as lazy, but once they’ve found a focus and direction they put everything into it.
Snake
The snake is intelligent, wise, and determined.
Horse
Those born in the year of the Horse are cctive, intelligent, modest, and love their freedom more than most and this is what drives them.
Goat
The goat is calm, gentle, sympathetic, but has a soft power and a way of getting what they want.
Monkey
They monkey is sharp, smart, and inquisitive.
Rooster
A courageous type, hardworking,
Dog
The dog is loving, honest, prudent and kind
Pig
Those born in the year of the pig are compassionate, diligent, generous, often wealthy. They have a tendency to loose their temper.
2023: The Year of the Rabbit
2023 is the Year of the Rabbit – said to be the luckiest zodiac animal. . Those that are born in the Year of the Rabbit are kind, thoughtful, sensitive and caring. But they can also be a little over-cautious in their decision making.
Rabbits get along particularly well with the Dragons and Monkeys and a complimentary zodiac animal is the Dog, the Pig and the Goat.
The Chinese Year of the Rabbit Jewellery
It is said that carrying the current zodiac animal talisman, or its complimentary zodiac animal, with you will bring you luck. A pendant, a bracelet or, like the marcasite brooch above, is a lovely way of carrying a talisman of the Chinese year zodiac animal (or its complimentary animal) with you.
The same is said for carrying the complimentary colours of the current zodiac animal – in Rabbit’s case these colours are pink, red, purple and blue.
