As you may know, this Sunday was the Chinese New Year and the Lunar New Year. Yes, It’s not exactly the same but we’ll talk about it later. For now, let’s stay focused on China because it is where our story takes place today. For a lot of you, you may wonder why their new year is now and not on the 31st of December like us. Well, because their belief in terms is based on the zodiac signs, and every year, they have a new zodiac sign. There are 12 of them in total and the cycle repeats itself indefinitely.
Last year was the year of the tiger and this year is the year of the rabbit. And it is very important to know if you intend to have children in Asia. Because for example, the year of the Dragon is much more appreciated by children than the year of the Rat. But it seems like the year of the tiger doesn’t like the year of the rabbit, and it didn’t want to end.
The Zoo Incident
To celebrate the transition between the two years, a Chinese Zoo had a good idea or thought they had a good idea. They decided to bring a normal-sized rabbit and a baby tiger. The goal of this was for them to meet, and create a cute video between the two animals that have a lot of symbolization for them.
So the Zoo caretakers of Linfen’s zoo put the two animals next to each other. While the rabbit seems lost about the situation, the tiger seems to be aware of the rabbit’s presence, even too aware as we can see on the following video.
Chinese Zoo held a ceremony to transition from the Year of the Tiger to the Year of the Rabbit.
The rabbit is OK. pic.twitter.com/ITWLVUivlF
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) January 24, 2023
Oh no, the tiger attacked the rabbit! Who would have thought it could happen? No really, who could have thought a wild animal like a tiger could attack a poor mammal like a rabbit? Let’s be serious, how could zoo caretakers think it was a good idea to put these two animals side by side?
Fortunately, the zoo said the rabbit was ok and that it didn’t suffer any injuries. Are you sure about that? I heard the rabbit yelling at the end of the video. In France, we have a meal called the Mustard Rabbit, and we’re sure this tiger is a fan of it and started to bite the rabbit that didn’t want to be there. However, even if the rabbit was injured, we’re sure he’s fine today, and that’s the most important. Also, we tend to think this zoo got a lesson from what happened, and will not put a dragon and a rabbit next to each other next year. What? Of course, dragons exist!
Lunar New Year VS Chinese New Year
Lunar New Year and Chinese New Year are not exactly the same thing. It’s very close in terms of dates but It’s not exactly the same celebration. While the Chinese New Year is of course celebrated in China only, the Lunar New Year is celebrated in China and other Asian countries. But what are the differences between those two?
The Lunar New Year is general, it regroups all the countries that celebrate the new year according to the lunar calendar. And it has different names in the countries that celebrate it. For example, in China, It’s called Chunjié, the Spring Festival of Chinese New Year. For the activities, they put up lanterns, set off firecrackers and fireworks, give red envelopes to each other, and of course have dinner all together like we do in our country.
In Vietnam, It’s called Têt or Vietnamese New Year. In their culture, they have a cat instead of a rabbit and a buffalo instead of an Ox in their calendar, and that’s a big difference from the Chinese New Year. For the celebration, they decorate their houses with flowers and bake traditional cakes for all.
Finally, in South Korea, Lunar New Year is called Seollal. For the celebration, they wear the traditional clothes of their country, perform ancestral rites and eat traditional food. Also, these countries can have different dates for it. Chinese New Year is always celebrated on the second new moon following the winter solstice, so late January to mid-February while other countries can have a Lunar New Year that takes place on the first new moon after the winter solstice. So if you didn’t know the differences between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year, there you go, and you’re welcome.
