Author's note: apologies for the bad pun.
There were many Animalians celebrating the New Year. A lot of it involved drinking (not as hardily as humans) and eating. Several couples celebrated with mating. But there was one place where the New Year was greeted a little differently.
The Shikumatsu family was very much in touch with their Japanese roots. They had come to Lyre only a week before the outbreak. It was a bit hard to think mere coincidence allowed them to be here in time to be exposed and changed by the virus. But they considered a sign of destiny and learned to appreciate it, especially since it cured Mrs. Shikumatsu's heart condition.
Just because they were rabbits now didn't mean that they didn't steal keep their Japanese customs. Their house was decorated with several banners, each colored red for good luck. A bell had been rung at midnight 108 times to drive away human temptations. Michiko received an otoshidama filled with $50. Yumi also got an otoshidama as she was now part of the family too.
There was a little bit of a problem regarding the traditional Japanese meal for New Year's. Many items of food were made with fish and since rabbits were vegetarians, they wouldn't be able to digest the dishes. But that didn't mean they couldn't invite guests who could. And since Michiko and Yumi had gotten so friendly with Jessica and Roger, it seemed courteous enough to invite them and their human families to dinner.
While Mr. and Mrs. Shikumatsu entertained Jessica's parents, as well as Codey and his family, Jessica and Roger were sitting at another small table with Michiko and Yumi. The two Japanese rabbits were petty easy to tell apart, Michiko being the one with human locks and Yumi being the one with a crescent moon around her right eye. While Michiko and Yumi weren't interested in Roger, Jessica couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious around them. Unlike her, they were both double-dosed which gave them adult womanly curves and muscles that were even more toned because of their martial arts training. In quite a few ways, they looked more like they should be Mrs. Shikumatsu's sisters than her daughters, even if Yumi wasn't her daughter by birth. But thankfully, Roger was proving to be faithful and Jessica will be grateful to mature with him in time.
"I didn't think the Japanese celebrated the New Year at the same time as us," said Jessica, "I thought it had something to do with the moon or something."
"You're thinking of the Chinese New Year," said Michiko, "But the Japanese New Year used to be like that. Japan used to have the same lunar calendar China, Korea, and Vietnam. But we adopted the Georgian calendar in 1873 so January 1st is when we celebrate it now."
"Has a lot changed since then?" asked Roger.
"Not a whole lot," said Yumi, "Gifts are more modernized now, but we still celebrate with moon cakes as the zodiac turns."
"Do you have the same zodiac as the Chinese?" asked Jessica.
"Yes, China and Japan stole a lot of culture from each other over the centuries," said Michiko before pulling out a piece of paper. On it was a wheel depicting the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. "Right now, we're leaving the Year of the Monkey and starting the Year of the Rooster," said Michiko, tapping on the respective signs.
"Isn't it ironic that the Year of the Monkey is when so many monkeys stopped being monkeys?" asked Yumi.
"Say what?" asked Roger.
"You know, humans are a kind of monkey and now so many of them aren't human," said Yumi. There was a long awkward moment before Yumi asked, "Don't you get my joke?"
"Well, you kinda spoiled the delivery," said Jessica.
Michiko patted her sister's shoulder and said, "American humor is very different from Japanese humor. Yumi still has a lot to learn."
Jessica looked down at the zodiac wheel. It was a bit of a shame the Year of the Rabbit was so far away and they had just missed the Year of the Horse. It would have tickled Abby's fancy if she were changed on the year of the Horse, but the Horse was probably her sign anyways. Well, Jessica knew plenty of dogs, namely the Wesleys, who will be happy about the Year of the Dog next year.
"You know, I hear that Mayor Clara is planning on doing the Lunar New Year too," said Michiko.
"I think I heard something about that," said Jessica, "When is that again?"
"The New Year starts on the new moon that comes between the 21st of January and the 20th of February," said Yumi, "This year, it'll be on the 28th of January."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Animalia celebrated that," said Jessica, "We do need something to fill up the holiday gap between New Year and Valentine's Day."
"That will be an interesting sight," said Roger before looking at the other table, "Speaking of interesting sight, do you see how your folks are looking?"
Jessica turned to see her parents trying to politely eat their sushi, though they didn't seem to agree with the taste. "Kinda makes me glad I can't eat fish," said Jessica.
"You Americans have such sensitive tastes," said Yumi.
"And you eat so much fast food," said Michiko.
"To each their own. That's what Animalia is practically about," said Jessica.