Yesterday, at the Tsutenkaku Tower from Osaka, took place the 55th annual ceremony of "zodiac sign replacement".
As usual, the animals representing the Chinese zodiac signs of the old year (the Year of the Tiger) and the new year (the Year of the Rabbit or Hare), hence a tiger cub and two little bunnies (I wonder... why two?), played their part in this funny ceremony, symbolizing the passing of responsibility from the tiger to the rabbit:
Look how cute they were:
On mobile, click on thumbnail for YouTube site/app
Like I was writing last year, according to the Chinese zodiac, the Tiger symbolizes unpredictability. Well, this year was indeed unpredictable...Also according to the Chinese zodiac, the year 2011 will be the year of the metal rabbit.
Traditionally, the Year of the Rabbit is associated with several countries: Oman, Iraq, Malaysia, Croatia, Chile and Syria. And since the motto of this new Year of Rabbit is: "Let there be peace, and let it begin with me", let's hope the little rabbit will bring peace...
The tradition says that the Year of the Rabbit (or if you prefer, the Year of the Hare) will probably be:
Gracious, good friend, kind, sensitive, soft-spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, cautious, artistic, thorough, tender, self-assured, shy, astute, compassionate, lucky, flexible.
Can be moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic, stubborn.