Easter... and Spring!!!

Spring!!! Yes, it most certainly deserves three exclaimation points. I am so tired of the winter.

I'm a week late for this post, but I thought I would share a few Easter-appropriate cards with you. I made these as a part of my mom's birthday present last year, for her to give to anyone she wants. (She's so cute; she called me up to ask my permission before giving one to her colleague.)

I am always on the lookout for cute bunny stamps, as my mom is a rabbit in the Chinese animal zodiac. When I saw these huge stamps, I couldn't resist. They brought out the inner six year-old in me - I had a lot of fun coloring them in with colored pencils.

The Chinese animal signs are a 12-year cycle used for dating the years. They represent a cyclical concept of time, rather than the Western linear concept of time. The Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and is constructed in a different fashion than the Western solar calendar. Source.

A popular folk method that reflected this cyclical method of recording years are the twelve animal signs. Every year is assigned an animal name or "sign" according to a repeating cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Therefore, every twelve years the same animal name or "sign" would reappear.

According to Chinese legend, the twelve animals quarreled one day as to who was to head the cycle of years. The gods were asked to decide and they held a contest: whoever was to reach the opposite bank of the river would be first, and the rest of the animals would receive their years according to their finish. All twelve animals gathered at the river bank and jumped in. The ox, big and strong, was swimming furiously and headed the pack. But, unknown to the ox, the intelligent rat had jumped upon the ox's back. As the ox was about to triumphantly lumber ashore, the rat leaped off the ox's back and landed a hair's breadth in front of the ox's nose, therefore winning the race. The pig, who was very lazy, ended up last. And that is why the rat is the first year of the animal cycle, the ox second, and the pig last.

The animal signs serve a useful social function for finding out people’s ages. Instead of asking directly how old a person is, people often ask what is his or her animal sign. This would place that person’s age within a cycle of 12 years, and with a bit of common sense, they can deduce the exact age.

Also, horoscopes have developed around the animal signs, much like monthly horoscopes in the West have been developed for the different moon signs, Pisces, Aries, Virgo, etc. For example, I was born in the Year of the Horse, and my personality is predicted to be or described as "intelligent, strong, cheerful, popular, and loves to compliment others".

None of this has to do with Easter, obviously, but I got sidetracked explaining why I collected so many rabbit stamps.

I may try to think of something creative to do with these stamps next year so I can send people Easter cards.

By the way, in case you're interested, this year is the Year of the Tiger. Raaaaaawr!!