The Year of the Rabbit 2023

The Year of the Rabbitoh?

1951 was the Year of the Rabbit so it’s no surprise that the South Sydney Rabbitohs experienced a glorious season that year. Souths defeated the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 42-14 in the 1951 grand final to win the premiership. It was meant to be thanks to the Chinese Zodiac.

The 1927 Rabbitohs defeated the Dragons 20-11 to win the competition in, you guessed it, the Year of the Rabbit.

2023 is again the Year of the Rabbit so Souths fans will be hoping that history repeats itself. Competition win number 22 in ’23 would be very nice thank you very much.

So the mighty Rabbitohs have tasted success in the Year of the Rabbit but unfortunately that hasn’t always been the case.

The 1999 Year of the Rabbit saw Souths booted from the competition.

I debuted for the club at Redfern in the 1987 Year of the Rabbit. However that season subsequently ended in a disasterous elimination for the Bunnies and yours truly.

What is the Chinese Zodiac?

The Chinese Zodiac known as Shengxiao (‘born resembling’) is a repeating cycle of 12 years and each year is represented by a different animal.

In order the 12 animals are – Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

There are altogether five elements of the Chinese Zodiac: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. 

The Great Race

The order of the Chinese astrology signs is related to the most commonly accepted legend of the Chinese Zodiac: the Jade Emperor’s Race. A race, held by the Chinese emperor was used to determine the lucky animals that would have the honor of being added to the calendar.

And so, the race began! The clever rat, a friend of the ox, hitched a ride on the ox’s back, but just as they approached the palace, the rat jumped off and ran ahead, eventually becoming the first animal to arrive and earning the coveted spot as the first sign of the Zodiac of the 12-year cycle. The other animals followed, each taking their respective place in the Zodiac based on their order of arrival.

Your Chinese Zodiac sign is Rabbit if you are born in one of these years: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023.

The Watch

Swiss luxury watch maker IWC has created a bejeweled limited edition Portugieser Automatic 40. The watch carries the description – “And that’s indeed where the magic comes, or in this case, hops to life. The gold-plated rotor is specifically shaped like a rabbit. The sapphire glass case back is engraved with the words “2023 YEAR OF THE RABBIT”. The timepiece also comes with two equally elegant calfskin straps one in black and the other in burgundy – because variety is still the spice of life. The special edition Portugieser is powered by IWC’s in house manufactured 82200 Calibre comprised of 190 components and 31 jewels”.

The Swiss made Portugieser Automatic 40 Edition “Chinese New Year” retail for $12,500 AUD.

The Science

To summarize, in truth there’s no scientific facts when it come to the Year of the Rabbit or any other year also named after an animal.

The same goes for the western star signs like Capricorn which is my sign because I was born in January. The ‘Year of’ is a myth, created by people and embraced by the masses.

So yes it’s not actually real but that doesn’t mean that it’s not fun or a way to believe in something good. The Chinese rabbit is especially gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert as well as quick, skillful, kind, patient, and very responsible.

Rabbitohs fans can certainly relate to being patient but not sure about very responsible. If the 2023 first grade team are alert, quick and skilful then we can look forward to a memorable year.

However regardless of the NRL result in 2023 we will undoubtedly continue to love our team because for Souths supporters every year is the year of the Rabbit.

The Year of the Rabbit 2023

By Steve Mavin for Bunnies TV with thanks to Brendan Tillitzki for sending us the unquestionably awesome watch picture that sparked this article. stevem@bunniestv.au