Photos: Why Vietnam is celebrating the Year of the Cat, not the Rabbit

Photos

Login / Sign Up

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Gold / Forex

Photos Lifestyle

Photos: Why Vietnam is celebrating the Year of the Cat, not the Rabbit

Year of the Cat is believed to bring good luck and smooth sailing in Vietnam

Published: January 20, 2023 15:24 Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from AFP

1 of 9

867211-01-02 — Hanoi: As China gears up to welcome the Year of the Rabbit, Lunar New Year looks slightly different in Vietnam, where the Year of the Cat is about to begin. Image Credit: AFP

2 of 9

867212-01-02 — Across the country, streets are decked out with statues of felines and shops are stocked full of cat-themed decorations, popular gifts during Vietnamese New Year, known as Tet. Image Credit: AFP

3 of 9

867213-01-02 — Vietnam and neighbouring China share 10 of the zodiac calendar's 12 signs - the rat, tiger, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. But the Vietnamese honour the cat instead of the rabbit, and the buffalo instead of the ox. Image Credit: AFP

4 of 9

867214-01-02 — There are a host of theories to explain why the Vietnamese plumped for the cat. Image Credit: AFP

5 of 9

867218-01-02 — Nguyen Hieu Tin, an expert on traditional Vietnamese culture, said the answer may lie in the rice fields prized by farmers. "Rice is a huge part of Vietnam's agriculture, but with the threat of many rats in the fields, the cats (which can hunt them) are a popular animal for the Vietnamese," he told AFP. Image Credit: AFP

6 of 9

867215-01-02 — "Another explanation is that the Vietnamese don't want to observe two years with a similar animal. They see the mouse and the rabbit as being closely linked," Tin said. Image Credit: AFP

7 of 9

867217-01-02 — There is also a theory that the Vietnamese made their own interpretation of the Chinese word for rabbit, "mao". In Vietnamese, this sounds like "meo", which means cat. The Year of the Cat is believed to bring good luck and smooth sailing in Vietnam. Image Credit: AFP

8 of 9

867221-01-02 — Hoang Thi Huong Giang, an office worker in Hanoi, a city filled with traditional orange kumquat trees and pink blossoms ahead of Tet, said she had never paid attention to the reasons that Vietnamese honoured a different zodiac animal to the rest of the world. Image Credit: AFP

9 of 9

867220-01-02 — But she believes that those who were born in the Year of the Cat, like her, have things easier than most. "It seems to be true that those who are born in the Year of the Cat are often more active, hard-working and easy to get on with," Giang said proudly. Image Credit: AFP

Latest In

Airlines cancel over 1,800 US flights as ice storm hits

43 minutes ago
It’s fun and games during MI Emirates Fan Carnival

54 minutes ago
Neighbours vow to drive Al Shabaab out of Somalia

55 minutes ago
Adani share rout: Indian regulator examining crash

57 minutes ago
UAE names World Met Organisation presidency candidate

59 minutes ago

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.

Photos Lifestyle

Trending