It was party time Feb. 5 in Kent, as the Great Wall Mall celebrated the new Year of the Rabbit with a cultural arts festival. The Asian-influenced mall was the focal point for a variety of individual dancers and troupes, including a Vietnamese lion dance team (Au Lac Vovinam out of White Center), as well as dancers on the central stage in front of the Ranch 99 Market, whose repertoires included Korean and Chinese dances. There was even a magician.

The event was free, but raffle tickets were on sale, for prizes donated by sponsors and stores at The Great Wall Mall, 18230 E. Valley Highway. Part of the proceeds from raffle tickets were to benefit Seattle’s Kin On Nursing Home, a nonprofit group that serves Asian Americans in the community.

The Rabbit is a sign on the Chinese zodiac chart, although on the Vietnamese zodiac, the cat takes the place of the rabbit.

According to the Web site operated by the Chinese Culture Center of San Franciso, people born on the following years celebrate the Rabbit: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999.

Also, according to the Web site, “People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise. They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig, and Dog.”

According to Wikipedia: The Rabbit ( 兔 ) (also translated as Hare) is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Rabbit is associated with the earthly branch symbol 卯.

For more information about the Great Wall Mall, call 425-251-1600.