The Arts Will Hop While Rabbit Reigns

It won’t be a great year for con men, who are due to get their karmic comeuppance. It will be a great year for the arts. And those born in this, the Year of the Hare, are destined to be lovable, happy souls who are good at business.

The Chinese New Year, Feb. 16, 4697, ushers in the Year of the Hare, or the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac. The zodiac works on a 12-year cycle, each year designated by an animal symbol (the others are the rat, ox, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig).

It’s believed that people born within an animal’s year will take on its qualities. According to the Los Angeles Chinese Chamber of Commerce, rabbit people “are conservative, lovable people. Their passive, happy natures make it easy for others to lead them astray, and they do not have strong leadership qualities. . . . They are smooth, tactful talkers, but are upset if others are inconsiderate. Rather pedantic by nature, they are well-informed on a few subjects but do not pursue new topics or adventures.”

Some other traits (found on the Web site https://www.catchafire.com) are “tactful, ambitious, virtuous and prudent” on the positive side and “secretive, hypochondriac, squeamish and overly complex” on the negative. “Compatibilities of the heart” can be found in the snake, sheep, boar (pig) and ox, but stay away from dogs.

On the Chinese Astrology by Shelly Wu Web site (https://www.chineseastrology.com), Wu says this year will bring some “rest for the weary. An aesthetic year with emphasis on the fine arts, music and treaties by the fireside. A diplomatic and well-mannered year, in sharp contrast to the previous exhausting Tiger months of 1998.”

She goes on: “Charlatans, con men and tricksters beware as the justice and balance of [hare] years also can bring excessive severity to wrongdoers. A karmic year in that ‘what has gone around will finally come around,’ 1999 will focus on the desire to reach goals, settlements, legal matters, cause and effect, and investments of time.”

Finally, Wu predicts “prosperity to those businesses involved in the luxurious. Exotic fragrances, skin care products, cosmetics, fashionable clothing, and all things that titillate the senses. Dance studios, art galleries and concert halls will see increased popularity.”

Gung hay fat choy!