You Rascally Rabbit!

The Chinese New Year kicks off today as the Year of The Rabbit. It's the fourth animal in the 12 year cycle.

1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise. They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig, and Dog. Definition from www.c-c-c.org

The Year of The Rabbit starts today, and with it the 15 day Spring Festival. The celebration, known as Chun Jie, or Spring Festival, is China's biggest holiday and a time to gather with relatives, feast and give gifts. Food, clothing and money are traditional presents, but a growing number of Chinese — especially the booming middle class with more money to spare — are choosing gifts from overseas. And what better present to give in China than a tin of American toffee, a Washington apple or a bottle of Tennessee whiskey?

The ancient festival, of course, is celebrated wherever Chinese live. But the scale is entirely different in China with its 1.3 billion people.

Spring Festival triggers the world's largest annual migration of people as they head home to be with family. More shoppers than usual have been crowding Beijing stores, where walls and shelves have been bedecked with "Spring Festival Promotion" banners. Story from the Associated Press