Year of the Rabbit: years, dates and elements

Mao: the branch of dawn and spring

Mao names the double hour from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., the hour of sunrise, and the second lunar month, which contains the vernal equinox. In the Observatory's account of the solar terms, the equinox is the first of the twelve major terms and falls in the month designated by its branch. The Rabbit therefore stands at the eastern point of the circle, the place of morning and of spring.

The moon rabbit is older than the zodiac's animal names. It appears in Han dynasty art beside the toad on the moon, and the story of the rabbit pounding medicine is still told at Mid-Autumn, when families eat mooncakes and look at the full moon of the eighth month.

Rabbit pairings in folk tradition

Tradition places the Rabbit in a triad with the Goat and the Pig, and pairs it in harmony with the Dog. Its opposite across the circle is the Rooster, six years away, and marriage almanacs used to advise against that match. These rules come from the geometry of the branches, not from observation of couples. The mini-tool above shows the relation for any two signs.

January Rabbits are rare

Rabbit years usually start in late January or in February: January 29, 1987 in 1987, January 22, 2023 in 2023. Babies born in the first weeks of those Gregorian years are Tigers.

The Rabbit at a glance

Every year of the Rabbit, with exact dates

Each line is one lunar year, from its new year to the eve of the next. Over sixty years the Rabbit comes back five times, once with each element: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. A birth before the start date in that Gregorian year belongs to the Tiger.