An invitation awaits you (read on) but here’s today’s main message: Chinese Lunar New Year has begun. This new year is the Year of the Water Rabbit. The rabbit is the fourth of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, and here is how that came to be: When the Jade Emperor announced that the order of the zodiac animals would be determined by when they each arrived at his palace, Rabbit figured, “I’ve got this in the bag!” Rabbit knew he was fast, and he was pretty proud of his speed. Some (Ox, especially) might say Rabbit was even a little arrogant about it. Rabbit in particular made fun of Ox, who was his neighbor, for Ox, though he took great strides, was mighty slow compared to Rabbit.
On the day of the Jade Emperor’s race, Rabbit set off at daybreak. Sure enough, he was the first to arrive outside the Jade Emperor’s palace. None of the other animals were in sight, and once again, Rabbit’s arrogance kicked in: He opted to have a little snooze while he waited for the others to catch up. And so Rabbit took a nap under a tree just outside the gate. Which is all well and good, I suppose… but while Rabbit slept, three other animals arrived and entered the palace. Ox was one of them, but ahead of Ox came Rat, for Rat had tricked Ox into giving him a ride and leapt off of Ox and into the palace first. Ox followed in, and behind Ox came Tiger. Only after Tiger’s entrance did Rabbit awaken from his nap… and this is how Rabbit came to be the fourth animal of the Chinese Zodiac and why Rat is first, and why Ox is second, and why Tiger is third, ahead of the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig. But this year is Rabbit’s year, and the element associated with Rabbit this year is water.
We made homemade dumplings for the new year celebration this past weekend. If you feel like you’ve missed out, worry not: The new year celebration continues on through Lantern Festival, when the full moon returns and the celebration concludes. That is on the Fifth of February this year.
Won’t you join me this Friday, January 27, on Zoom for the Jaffe Center for Book Arts’ Real Mail Fridays Year of the Water Rabbit Social? I’ll be hosting the social from 2 to 5 Eastern. What to expect? We’ll be celebrating the Year of the Water Rabbit through An Dun (music to calm the emotions) and Sheng Hua (music to invigorate the spirit) and other music from China. We play the music, people gather over Zoom, and it’s three hours of calm working time to do whatever you wish: write letters, knit, bind books, do homework, paint or draw… What you do is up to you. We just provide you with atmosphere and the company of like-minded folks, and once or twice an hour we break for a little chat. It’s a supremely heartwarming time. Click here to join us on Friday from 2 to 5 Eastern. And Happy New Year!