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2023 IS THE YEAR OF THE RABBIT By Sarah Baird No matter where you’re from, when the calendar flips over to a new year, it’s time to break out some tried and-true traditions to attract the maximum amount of good fortune for the upcoming 365 days. In Spain, this means speed-eating 12 grapes (one for each time the clock chimes) at the stroke of midnight. In Iran, celebrants snack on kuku sabzi, an herb-heavy frittata, for abundance and happiness during Nowruz, the Persian New Year. And in the American South, you’d be hard-pressed to find a superstitious household where someone isn’t cooking up a sizeable batch of black eyed peas and collard greens on Jan. 1. A cross East and Southeast Asia, where countries follow the lunisolar calendar, the start of the symbolic new year officially begins when the new moon arrives in late January or early February. Known as the Lunar New Year, this seismic shifting to a fresh, anything-can-happen year is honored and celebrated with widespread revelry — and plenty of lucky rituals. In China, the Lunar New Year means festooning homes, businesses, and everywhere in between

with auspicious shades of red: Red-and gold fireworks crack, red lanterns sway in the breeze, and children open small red envelopes filled with money as a blessing from their elders. In Vietnam, the Lunar New Year, known as tet nguyen dan (or Tet for short), finds multiple generations gathering to cook banh chung (sticky rice cakes with rich pork belly and mung beans) and candied coconut ribbon to usher in a fortunate, family-centered new year. And for the Taiwanese, pineapple cakes and white turnips are the good-luck foods that mark the passage into the next annual cycle and hope of coming spring. The Lunar New Year in China also marks the annual transition between the 12 zodiac signs, with a new corresponding animal — possessing unique personality traits — taking over yearly. Much as in Western astrology, people are said to possess characteristics of the Chinese zodiac sign under which they were born, and whether you’re an affable, hardworking Pig or a philosophical, serious Snake, it’s always illuminating to put a finger on potential reasons we behave, feel, and believe certain ways. Outlined below are the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, their personality traits, and a lucky food suggestion for the upcoming year. After you find your sign, if you’re looking to really swell your good fortune during the Lunar New Year, there’s also advice on how to create a Chinese-inspired dish with each ingredient that incorporates traditional, lucky Lunar New Year preparations with your sign’s uniquely fortunate food. (If not, there are some traditional American holiday menu ideas proposed as well.) Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit in 2023, and xīn nián hao!

YEAR OF THE RAT Born: 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 The first sign of the Chinese zodiac cycle, thanks to their cunning ways, those born in the Year of the Rat are quick-thinking, social creatures who enjoy rubbing elbows with plenty of acquaintances (the cocktail party circuit was built for them) but only show their generosity with a select few. Are Rats a little opportunistic? Sometimes, but their deeply rooted sincerity helps keep them in check. “The charm and innovative personality of the Rat is legendary,” write Theodora and Laura Lau in The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes (9th Edition) . “On the surface, some Rats may appear reserved, even placid, but they are never as quiet as they may seem. Something is always going on inside that sharp mind.”

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