February 3 marks the 2011 Chinese New Year (also referred to as the Spring Festival) and will continue for the following fifteen days. For 2011, the New Year ushers in the Year of the Rabbit. The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac. ARTKABINETT social network for fine art collectors admires rabbits in art (Article on Barry Flanagan naturally to follow); and the zodiac. So this is a perfect event for our collectors.
Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. On the Chinese calendar, 2011 is Lunar Year 4709.
On the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on Thursday, February 3, 2011 ó The Year of the Rabbit.
If you were born in 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, or 2011 - you were born under the sign of the rabbit. Like the rabbit, you are one of cuddliest & sweetest creatures in the Chinese zodiac.
Although considered somewhat timid by more dynamic signs, you are wise and cautious, and know better than to jump into any situation without thinking! Tactful, considerate, and popular with a wide circle of friends and family, luck just seems to come to you unbidden.
For the rabbit in 2011, any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome, so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally.
Famous people born under the Sign of the Rabbit?
They include Albert Einstein, Frank Sinatra, Pope Benedict XVI, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, and David Beckham,
As with any holiday, the Chinese New Year encompass thousands of years of tradition, centered on home, family, friends, and of course food!
Almost every dish holds an emblematic meaning echoing the Chinese characters of fortune, happiness, longevity and prosperity.
The holiday begins with a reunion feast which falls on the eve of the New Year. Plates of auspicious foods fill the table, each containing bites chock full of hope for the New Year.
The Chinese believe numbers represent luck; therefore they place an even number of dishes amongst anxious guests. There can be up to twelve or more options, as a large spread signifies hope for abundance in the New Year.
Long noodles are served to guarantee that everyone at the table will boast a long life. Dumplings (jiao zi) bring promise and wealth for the New Year as their shape is similar to the gold currency used during the Ming Dynasty.
Families eat these at midnight to make certain there is money during the changing of the years.
No Chinese New Year table is complete without fish, which is the typical main course. Carp is often selected to play this role, as it indicates a profitable year. The fish is prepared and presented whole.
But according to Chinese custom, the use of knives during food preparation is unlucky, with the possibility of severing family fortune.
If the need for a knife or the ever popular cleaver arises for a particular preparation, they are used days in advance with respect to the myth. Items such as tangerines and oranges are given as gifts, as their names resemble "gold and wealth."
The customs and traditions don't end there. On the first day of the official New Year, Chinese families honor these traditions with a strictly vegeterian meal. The reason, according to belief, is to counter-balance the previous night's meal.
To ensure a positive fate for the New Year, celebrants abstain from anything that has been killed, thus the vegeterian courses.
For the following fifteen days, each day serves a purpose regarding business, home, relationships, and community. Homes are open for all visitors and tables are kept full of sweet and savory items to be shared.
A "Tray of Togetherness" is often prepared in each residence as an offering to celebratory visitors. It is a box filled with auspicious items: lotus roots (abundance), lotus seeds (fertility) as well as an assortment of sweet candies.
As the celebrations continue well after the fifteen days are passed, the Chinese continue to prepare and feast on certain items pertaining to wealth, prosperity, happiness.
Lobsters symbolize the shape of the dragon which brings luck, while chicken represents the Phoenix, providing wealth. The characters for shrimp mimic the sound of laughter. The ìhaî sound resonates with happiness, while the lamb belly signifies health and full stomachs
