Lunar New Year – the Year of the Rabbit with hope

By VINSON CHAO YU

Over the last 20 years, the population for diverse Asian ethnic groups has grown strongly, taking up 28 per cent of the population in Auckland and 46.5 per cent in the Howick Ward (2018 Census).

This means the community is fortunate to experience a variety of Asian cultural festivals during the year.

Lunar New Year celebrations are the most important cultural period in the beginning of year for the Asian community. 2023 Chinese New Year, the year of the Rabbit, is being celebrated from Sunday, January 22 and lasts two weeks until the Lantern Festival on February 5.

Rabbits are smart animals and played witty roles in folk tales since ancient times. The year of the rabbit symbolises kindness, beauty, peace and prosperity in Chinese culture. We definitely predict the year of hope in 2023. The rabbit has different images in Eastern and Western cultures.

In traditional Chinese culture, the moon has the Jade Rabbit, and the Rabbit ranks fourth in the zodiac. In Western culture, the rabbit is the protagonist of Easter, and it has gradually evolved into many animated characters, such as Peter Rabbit. Even though rabbits have different identities in different cultures, their origins are stories that people have passed down from generation to generation. Now I have one widely circulated story to share.

“FOLK TALE” OF RABBITS

According to a well-known story, a plague suddenly broke out in the city of Beijing and people in every household were infected with the disease, and no matter what medicine they took, they did not get better. Chang’e (Chinese goddess of the Moon) couldn’t bear to see this scene so she sent the jade rabbit to eliminate the pandemic. Jade Rabbit transformed into a young girl in Beijing City, administered medicine and cured many patients. People were grateful for Jade Rabbit, so they took a lot of things to give her. But she didn’t want anything, but only borrowed clothes from others.

In this way, Jade Rabbit changed her attire wherever she wanted to. Sometimes she was dressed like an oil seller, sometimes like a fortune teller, sometimes she was dressed as a man and sometimes she was dressed as a girl. In order, to treat more patients, Jade Rabbit rode horses, deer, lions and tigers all over Beijing.

The Jade Rabbit eliminated the plague in Beijing and went back to the Moon Palace. Although Rabbit is gone, her beautiful image will remain in the hearts of the community in Beijing forever.

Ever since, people used clay to create the image of Lord Rabbit,