rabbit legends

Rabbits are a courageous little species able to live on every continent, except Antarctica. Alongside the beginning of 2023, the new Year of the Rabbit is about to start! Maybe now is the best time to talk about this adorable animal in the eyes of different cultures.

Cultural image of rabbits in China

Rabbits are instinctively quiet but agile, which suits traditional Chinese aesthetic values of being gentle and cultivated. There is a view of rabbits in Chinese culture as being smart and gentle. This is shown by the phrase dongru tuotu, a Chinese idiom praising people who are smart and agile like a rabbit.

Legend has it that there is a Jade Rabbit living on the moon which is the pet of Chang’e, a goddess widely known in China. This can explain why rabbits are regarded as an auspicious sign.

Also, in ancient China, it was common sense that the more children you had, the luckier and happier you would be. This belief made the rabbit a popular sign of good fortune, since rabbits are full of vitality and fertile in nature.

So, with it now being the lucky animal’s turn on the Chinese zodiac, maybe the Year of the Rabbit can bring you some good fortune, too!

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