Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year, is an annual 15-day festival that begins with the new moon and lasts until the following full moon. The Chinese Lantern Festival marks the end of Lunar New Year celebrations. This takes place on the 15th day of the first lunar month & coincides with the first full moon of the new lunar year. Likewise, it officially marks the end of the Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations. This year, it is February 5th.

********************
Chinese New Year starts a new animal’s zodiac year. In China, each lunar cycle has 60 years and 12 years is regarded as a small cycle. Each of the 12 years is defined by an animal sign. In 2023, that animal is the rabbit. Rabbit ranks fourth in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac signs. The Years of the Rabbit include 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023... For Chinese people, the rabbit is a tame creature representing hope and life for a long time.

In Chinese culture, rabbits also represent the moon. Some say it is because the shadows of the moon resemble a rabbit. Others say it is because of the rabbit’s pure characteristics.

*******************

Our beautiful Bailey above has been a part of both our Western New Year's https://pbase.com/britestar/image/173274840 and our Chinese New Year's celebrations.

*******************

We thought that Bailey's professional modeling career was over after she had mid-January oral surgery https://pbase.com/britestar/image/173320410 that removed a lot of her teeth. However, above (although not a shoot for any company) proves that if photographed right she can still work as a canine model. Therefore, she's still available for bookings. That makes us all (including Bailey) very happy.