On the back of Pikachu, the number “2023” shows the production date of this toy. The year 2023 is also the Rabbit year in the Chinese zodiac calendar.
According to the lunar calendar, there is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year related to an animal (Ibekwe,2021). This cycle is called the “Chinese Zodiac,” consisting of twelve animals: “rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig” (Ibekwe,2021). It has been an integral part of the cultural heritage of Chinese society, influencing people's lives, decisions, fortunes and even characteristics (Meisami, 2013). The Rabbit year symbolizes that people born in this year are “kind, gracious, good friends, shy, elegant, and reserved”(Meisami, 2013).
The origin of the Chinese Zodiac is tied to ancient Chinese mythology. It's said that the Jade Emperor invited all the animals to participate in a race and decided that the first twelve to cross a river would be honoured with a year named after them (BBC,2019). The first animal to arrive at the end was the smart and tricky rat who asked the helpful and kind ox for help to cross the water, but never thanked the ox once they had crossed (BBC,2019). The fourth one was the rabbit that tried its best to run to the destination with a floating wood (BBC,2019). This story not only explains the order of the zodiac but also attributes specific personality traits to each animal based on their performance in the race and, by extension, the people born in that year.
References
BBC. (2019, February 9). What is the chinese zodiac?. BBC Bitesize. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zd9nd6f
Ibekwe, C. A. (2021). The Spring Festival: A window into Chinese culture. JOURNAL OF CHINESE & AFRICAN STUDIES (JOCAS), 1(1). https://nigerianjournalsonline.com/index.php/JOCAS/article/view/1410
Meisami, A. (2013). Zodiac calendar and market returns. Asian Journal of Finance & Accounting, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.5296/ajfa.v5i1.3637
Multimedia References
StigglyPop. (2022). The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac | StigglyPop Stories [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuohwFpFT6A
Christine,G.(2023). Chinese Zodiac Compatibility [Online image]. In Womenshealth. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/a39194473/chinese-zodiac-compatibility/
According to the lunar calendar, there is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year related to an animal (Ibekwe,2021). This cycle is called the “Chinese Zodiac,” consisting of twelve animals: “rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig” (Ibekwe,2021). It has been an integral part of the cultural heritage of Chinese society, influencing people's lives, decisions, fortunes and even characteristics (Meisami, 2013). The Rabbit year symbolizes that people born in this year are “kind, gracious, good friends, shy, elegant, and reserved”(Meisami, 2013).