Is Chinese astrology accurate? People around the world are ushering in the Year of the Rabbit. Some treat it as just another superstition — but others say the public celebrations have deep meaning.
'The rabbit will bring us a gentler year'
Is Chinese astrology accurate? People around the world are ushering in the Year of the Rabbit. Some treat it as just another superstition - but others say the public celebrations have deep meaning.
<h2 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="crosshead">Baseless hoptimism?</h2>
The first animal at the finish line was the wily rat, who nipped across before the strong but kindly ox. After that was the brave tiger, who had been blown astray by a river current. And then came the rabbit.
This is the myth of the Chinese zodiacThe term derives from a Greek word for a sculpture of an animal.. According to the story, the Jade Emperor invited all of the animals in the world to take part in a race which included a huge, flowing river just before the finish line.
Twelve species competed: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. Each of them won a year in the zodiac, in order of their place in the rankings.
Sunday marked the start of the Lunar New Year, one of the most widely known festivals in Chinese culture, and the dawn of the Year of the Rabbit.1 It is celebrated in many countries across Asia with a feast of traditional cuisine, as children receive red envelopes called Hong Bao (Mandarin) or Lai See (Cantonese) which contain money and should ward off evil spirits.
The rabbit is a deeply symbolic animal in Chinese culture. It is considered the luckiest of all of the zodiac animals. One of China's most famous rabbits is the companion of a Goddess called Chang'e, who lives on the Moon, while a number of famous idioms are based on bunnies.
People born in the year of the rabbit have many peers to be proud of. Physicist Albert Einstein, Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are all rabbits.
As Chinese mythology characterises rabbits as tranquil and peaceful, many have projected that 2023 is to be a year of respite from the anxieties of war, pandemic and climate disaster.2
Is it wishful thinking? Those who eschewTo avoid something on purpose. the world of astrology, superstition and horoscopesA forecast of someone's future based upon the positions of the stars and planets at the time of their birth. will doubtless say so, priding themselves on a more scientific outlook. But it is rarely judiciousWise and showing good judgement. to dismiss ancient wisdom.
"It represents the sum of all human knowledge from antiquityThe ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages. ," claims one researcher who looks at ancient astrological practices. Most human civilisations, from India to Greece to MesopotamiaA historical region of the Middle East, mostly centred on modern-day Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Syria and Turkey. The name "Mesopotamia" in Greek means "between rivers" because of the Tigris and Euphrates that run through it. to PersiaA historic region of southwestern Asia, linked to the area that is now Iran. , built their cultures on astrology and the cosmosThe universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system.. These systems required careful observation of nature and of the human character, and formed the basis of early science.
In modernity, too, astrology has its uses. The legendary psychoanalystA practitioner of psychoanalysis, a set of psychological theories first laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th Century. Carl Jung, who founded the field of analytical psychology, praised astrological beliefs, affirming that "we are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have the qualities of the year and of the season of which we are born".
Nor should we dismiss the importance of cultural beliefs. In the last Year of the Dragon, 2012, the birth rate in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan spiked by 5%, producing an extra one million babies. Dragons are a particularly desirable zodiac animal, representing power, strength and wealth.
Meanwhile, birth rates tend to dip around the Year of the Goat. It is an important consideration in a country where population plays such a huge role in sustaining economic growth, suggesting that such "superstitions" merit more serious attention.
Yes: There is plenty of accuracy to this complex system of ancient wisdom which we can apply to the everyday even now. As with any old belief system, it just needs to be interpreted by the experienced eye, and not taken precisely at face value.
No: Horoscopes and astrology were first thought up many years in the past, and we should keep them there. They do not have any scientific evidence backing them up.
Or... It is not fair to call Chinese astrology "accurate" as such, but that does not mean we should dismiss its wisdom. Astrology has been a hallmark in every successful civilisation so far, and China is one of the strongest countries in the modern world. It merits our thought and attention.
Zodiac - The term derives from a Greek word for a sculpture of an animal.
Eschew - To avoid something on purpose.
Horoscopes - A forecast of someone's future based upon the positions of the stars and planets at the time of their birth.
Judicious - Wise and showing good judgement.
Antiquity - The ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages.
Mesopotamia - A historical region of the Middle East, mostly centred on modern-day Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Syria and Turkey. The name "Mesopotamia" in Greek means "between rivers" because of the Tigris and Euphrates that run through it.
Persia - A historic region of southwestern Asia, linked to the area that is now Iran.
Cosmos - The universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system.
Psychoanalyst - A practitioner of psychoanalysis, a set of psychological theories first laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th Century.
<h5 class=" eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Is Chinese astrology accurate?</strong> </h5>
‘The rabbit will bring us a gentler year’

Glossary
Zodiac - The term derives from a Greek word for a sculpture of an animal.
Eschew - To avoid something on purpose.
Horoscopes - A forecast of someone's future based upon the positions of the stars and planets at the time of their birth.
Judicious - Wise and showing good judgement.
Antiquity - The ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages.
Mesopotamia - A historical region of the Middle East, mostly centred on modern-day Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Syria and Turkey. The name "Mesopotamia" in Greek means "between rivers" because of the Tigris and Euphrates that run through it.
Persia - A historic region of southwestern Asia, linked to the area that is now Iran.
Cosmos - The universe, especially when it is understood as an ordered system.
Psychoanalyst - A practitioner of psychoanalysis, a set of psychological theories first laid out by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th Century.