The Year of the Rabbit

According to Chinese astrology, each year is associated with one of the 12 animals of the zodiac, which combine with one of the 5 natural elements (fire, earth, water, metal and wood) to create a cycle that is completed every 60 years. Certainly, many of you may be familiar with the animals of the Chinese zodiac, made famous by the Fruit Basket manga series. The Chinese New Year is also called Lunar New Year, since the beginning of each month coincides with the new moon. For this reason, the start of the year is staggered by almost a month compared to our calendar!