China celebrates the first day of the Lunar New Year on Thursday and many Chinese people are keen on using the occasion to get a glimpse of what might be in store next year.

"The 'Year of the Rabbit' will see a lot of unusual romantic relationships," Hong Kong astrologer Anthony Cheng told AFP. "Including extra-marital affairs and relationships with huge age differences."

Cheng said husbands and wives should keep watch for wandering eyes as their trusted partners look for stimulation elsewhere, although the coming year will also be lucky for couples planning to tie the knot.

"The Year of the Rabbit is an auspicious time for marriages, so I would expect to see a lot of people taking the plunge, including famous people," he added.

"Those who are single are likely to find girlfriends or boyfriends, those who are in relationships are likely to get married, while those who are married are likely to have babies," Cheng predicted.

But women could see more health problems than usual, astrologers say, and should place a yellow gourd on their desks at work to ward off pesky colds and other ills -- no matter what bemused colleagues might think.

The predictions are made by analysing a person's birth date as shown in the Chinese Solar Calendar, one of the most keenly-watched methods for laying out one's destiny among Chinese communities around the world.

In Chinese culture, many people take the predictions seriously and even adjust their lives accordingly.

The Chinese calendar moves in 60-year cycles, meaning the world will experience similar events to those seen 60 years in the past.

In the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is fourth in a cycle of 12 animals that represent each Chinese New Year, with the Year of the Rabbit falling between February 3, 2011 to January 22, 2012.

But seismic events aren't just reserved for matters of the heart. Weird weather patterns and natural disasters are also in the offing.

"Countries like the US, Canada and Taiwan will probably suffer from natural disasters or accidents," astrologer Alion Yeo told AFP.

"The weather will oscillate between the extremes -- it will either be extremely cold or extremely hot."

North and South Korea will continue to exchange hostilities, but the hardline Stalinist state should be more concerned about a disastrous epidemic.

"North Korea will likely witness an epidemic that would require assistance from the international community," said Peter So, a prominent Hong Kong astrologer and television personality.

Major accidents including train wrecks, fires, falling buildings or bridges are likely in Korea, India, Pakistan and throughout Africa, said Cheng, adding that Russia and China's Inner Mongolia province will experience large-scale earthquakes, with magnitudes of five or higher on the Richter Scale.

And it'll be a mixed bag for some of the world's political leaders.

China's president Hu Jintao will have luck on his side but his US counterpart Barack Obama has a so-so year in store based on the Chinese fortune-telling system, known as the Four Pillars of Destiny.

"Lady Luck will continue to shine on (Hu)," Peter So, a prominent astrologer and TV personality, told AFP. "Obama, on the other hand, would find this year very average for him, where there are many things he wants to achieve but it is unlikely that he would be successful."

earlier related report
Cyber reunion: China's diaspora marks Year of Rabbit online
Paris (AFP) Feb 2, 2011 - For hundreds of millions of Chinese, the Lunar New Year is the time to take to road, rail and skies to share food and festivity with their kin.

But as a fast-expanding Chinese diaspora spreads across the globe, many will find it impossible to get home for the Year of the Rabbit starting on Thursday -- yet thanks to the Internet, a family reunion will still be possible.

"I will have a live video chat on QQ with my parents on the morning on New Year's Eve, Paris time," said Liu Shiqi, a Chinese economics student in the French capital who admits to the sharp tug of homesickness at this time.

Like tens of thousands of overseas Chinese students in France, Europe and the rest of the world, Liu won't be heading home for the holidays. Too far, too expensive.

So she's planning an online encounter with her family to ring in the Year of the Rabbit, the symbol of mercy, elegance and the worship of beauty.

Liu will not be alone. QQ, a Chinese version of Microsoft's MSN Messenger, last year notched up over 500 million active users.

Most of them are Chinese, and not just Internet-savvy youngsters. Parents have learned to use it too in order to stay in touch with their kids overseas.

The software is free and has a video function that can be activated with built-in or add-on cameras, essentially rendering expensive international phone calls obsolete.

Another option is the China-based social website Douban, which began as a site to review books.

Today Douban has over 48 million registered users, who consult and contribute to some 210,000 forums for people who share a hobby or live in the same city.

One forum, "Paris", is heavily used by Chinese expatriates living in the French capital. It has posted invitations to celebrate New Year's Eve on Wednesday at a Paris eatery called Sichuan Delicieux.

Facebook and Twitter are not easily accessible in mainland China, but homegrown entrepreneurs have developed equivalents.

On the front page of Renren ("Everybody"), a knockoff of Facebook, users can offer new good wishes for the new year or click through to a new application called "Rabbit Lady Party," an online that anyone with an account can play in realtime.

"I use Renren every day to post updates on how my life is going and check on my friends," Huang Xu, another student in Paris, told AFP. "I will keep in touch with them through Renren during the New Year."

SMS traffic also skyrockets during Chinese New Year. Last year, Chinese cellphone users fired off more than 18 billion messages during the holidays, according to the country's top three telecoms.

On New Year's Eve alone, Shanghai and Beijing each racked up 700 million missives.

For 2011, Sina.com microblog, a Chinese version of Twitter that has topped 50 million users, offers "red pocket money" -- a traditional gift envelope from parents to children -- for people who get relatives to sign on to the service on New Year's Day.

Instead of money, through, the prizes include a solid gold rabbit worth 5,000 yuan (550 euros, 758 dollars) and a mobile phone.

The Year of the Rabbit begins on February 3 and ends on January 22, 2012. The Rabbit is the fourth sign of 12 animal signs in the Chinese Zodiac.

People born in the Year of Rabbit are said to enjoy the company of friends. They are good teachers, counsellors and communicators, but also need their own space.

Famous western "rabbits" include: Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, Johnny Depp, Edith Piaf, Cary Grant, George Orwell, Angelina Jolie, David Beckham, Kate Winslet and Tina Turner.

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