Happy Lunar New Year!
The Lunar New Year, sometimes called the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, is celebrated in China and other Asian countries (and throughout the diaspora), and predominantly follows a lunar calendar that originated in China.
In the Chinese zodiac, this Lunar New Year marks the end of the Year of the Tiger and the start of the Year of the Rabbit, ushering in a time of peace and introspection after a long year of hustle. For the Open Eye team, nothing could sound better! But for those who celebrate Tet, the Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar New Year, 2023 is the Year of the Cat (cue the Al Stewart Song).
The themes that the Rabbit brings to the new year are patience, sensitivity, gentleness, friendship, community, hope, intuition, inner peace, and quiet strength. Similarly, the sign of the Cat is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity and 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.
As we lean into 2023 and the new lunar year, we hope each of us can look at the year ahead with inner peace and quiet strength, can treat ourselves and the planet with gentleness, and build the community and friendships we need and want.
Curious and want to learn more about the zodiac? We recommend the debut novel Daughters of the New Year by Vietnamese-American author E.M. Tran.