2011 raise a toast to the rabbit

The Year of the Rabbit begins on February 3 and is marked by a week-long holiday and celebrations across China, Hong Kong and other Chinese dominated regions. Wear red, eat seaweed, share your candy, and you'll have a terrific year ahead!

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2011 is the Year of the Golden Rabbit. It begins on February 3, 2011 and ends on January 22, 2012.

A dragon dance in progress during New Year celebrations. Pic/AFP

It is popularly recognised as the Spring Festival and celebrations last for 15 days. Preparations begin a month from the date of the Chinese New Year, when people start buying presents, food, new clothes and decorations. If you're feeling left out, we suggest you check out this ready reckoner of what's cool and what's not in the Year of the Rabbit .

Paper capers and floral decor
Chinese families decorate their living rooms with flower vases, platters of oranges and tangerines, and a candy tray with eight varieties of dried sweet fruit. Happy wishes on red paper are hung on walls and doors. The Chinese believe that without flowers, there would be no fruits and so every home is adorned with floral decorations, which are emblems of reawakening of nature.

Platter-full of luck
Dinner is usually a seafood and dumplings feast, signifying different good wishes. Delicacies include prawns for liveliness and happiness, dried oysters for all things good, raw fish salad (Yu Sheng) for good luck and prosperity, Angel Hair (Fai-hai), an edible hair-like seaweed for prosperity, and dumplings boiled in water (Jiaozi) for a long-lost good wish for the family.

Red rules
The colour red is considered lucky and worn by most people to ward off evil spirits. Black and white are best avoided, as these are associated with mourning.

A sweet bond
An ancient custom called Hong Bao, meaning Red Packet, is an important tradition that brings elders and children together as they indulge in sweetsu00a0 that are arranged in a circle or octagon placed in the Candy Tray called the Tray of Togetherness. After taking several pieces of candy from the tray, adults place a red envelope (lai see) in the centre compartment of the tray. Each envelope contains good luck money, which is given to kids and young adults in the family.

The dragon walks
New Year celebrations end on the 15th of the First Moon, with the Lantern Festival. On the evening of that day, people carry lanterns into the streets to take part in a parade. Young men take part in a dragon dance. The dragon is made of bamboo, silk, and paper, and can stretch for more than hundred feet.

Did you know? This year is supposed to be filled with romance. It is also believed that 2011 will witness more sex scandals and affairs!

About the rabbit
The Rabbit is the fourth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 animals signs. The Rabbit is onsidered a lucky sign. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are friendly and enjoy the company of a group of good friends. They are good teachers, counselors and communicators, but also need their own space.

Year of the Rabbit:
1915, 1927,
1939, 1951,
1963, 1975,
1987, 1999,
2011, 2023,
2036, 2047

Let's get superstitious!
Don't sweep your fortune away: Sweeping and cleaning is forbidden on this day as the Chinese believe that by cleaning you will sweep away all your good luck out the front door.

Stock up on reading: Be sure to stock up on reading material before the Chinese New Year, as Hong Kong's bookshops will be closed. That's because in Cantonese, a book is a homonym for lose.

Don't buy shoes: Ensure you ward off a rough time in the New Year by not buying shoes during the holiday period. In Cantonese, shoes are synonymous for being 'rough'.

Pay off your debts: The Chinese believe that if you start the New Year in debt, it will end for you in the same way.

No ghostly tales: Tales of death, dying and ghosts are inauspicious, especially during the Chinese New Year.

Don't cut your hair: Don't cut your hair -- your good luck might get chopped off!