Year of the (Green Wood) Dragon 2024
The Spring Festival
10th February 2024. Enter the Year of the Dragon. An animal much revered by the Chinese people, the dragon symbolizes imperial power and authority. Those born in dragon years are considered imbued with charisma, intelligence, confidence, and power and believed to possess natural luck for success and gifts. Dragon years, occurring fifth in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, are ‘yang’ years. Whereas the West considers the dragon as evil, the Chinese perceive it as friendly and a bearer of good fortune.
The Chinese zodiac relates to the Chinese New Year, i.e. a year calculated according to the lunar calendar that differs from the dates of the Gregorian calendar. It is a ‘shifting date’ on the Gregorian calendar generally falling within the last week of January and up to the third week of February. Chinese New Year falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice and is also known as the Spring Festival. It is a time of rebirth after a dreary winter, and certainly to be celebrated. Despite the terms being casually interchangeably used, Chinese New Year and the Lunar New Year are not the same though there exists interconnectedness. Chinese New Year incorporates and celebrates Chinese customs including the practice of paying respect to parents and other elders, giving red envelopes (‘ang pows’) for good luck, scaring off Nian a mystical monster for the same purposes with firecrackers, fireworks, or loud noises, and having lion and dragon dance performances. The Lunar New Year, also celebrated by other Asian nations may not feature the celebration of Chinese culture but their very own unique culture. Koreans and Vietnamese dress up in their traditional attire. Vietnamese visit temples and pray for good luck. They serve foods that naturally reflect the symbols revered by their nation as being relevant and meaningful.
As an aside, do not disclose your Chinese zodiac animal sign if you do not wish to disclose your age. Ladies especially are sensitive to revealing their age, wishing to remain as ‘Dark Africa’ even if Africa has developed significantly and is no longer dark! Since each animal sign goes through a 12-year cycle, the age of any person can be easily gauged. The age of that person is in between being too young and too old and lies in the middle.
‘Yang’ personalities while assumed to possess positive dominant qualities of being male, strong, assertive, sun, heat and light, sociable, and associated with the heavens, Spring and Summer, are still required to be counterbalanced by opposite ‘Yin’ qualities of being female, recessive and nurturing, moon, darkness or dampness, negative charge, earth and Autumn and Winter. Excessive yang energy may result in irritability, anger, and emotionality. Too much of a ‘good’ thing is counter-productive with balance being the ideal. Be that as it may, one is not conscious of yin and yang interplay in actual life. In any case, life is about balance (homeostasis) whatever terms of reference are being used. It is a case of adding diversity when perceiving the world and viewing it from the lens of different myriad cultures. Perhaps understanding other cultures may render people less xenophobic and more accepting of them.
It was not so long ago before bigotry and religiosity made people intolerant and fearful of each other. Strangely, for reasons beyond me, it seems like the world is getting more ‘isolated’ the more we are (digitally) connected. To me, it is such an irony. With breakneck speed, hateful messages circulate the globe. We call it ‘viral’, and like a virus, hatred can also make its way into the hearts and minds of people who are clueless as to what is happening. This happens in whatever year we call it. The last few years saw much devastation, from the pandemic that was unforeseen to escalating wars on many fronts. There are those with their agendas causing all this devastation.
How insurmountable are these problems? Too complex a problem for easy answers, that is for sure. It isn’t about humanity anymore. It is nation against nation, religious beliefs against other religious beliefs, political ideologies against other political ideologies and that is just a short list.
Nevertheless, come the New Year, people will rally around new hopes for a better year, from the government to economics to national and personal relationships. For a little while at least, people can put aside their differences to celebrate their diversity. It’s been said ad nauseam that when we place our commonality ahead of our differences, we may stand a chance of rising above hatred and embracing acceptance of our various selves. That hope is still accessible. If desired.
Meanwhile, as February approaches, there will be a flurry of housekeeping and stocking up of New Year foods in readiness for the arrival and observance of the Chinese New Year. As with other major festivals, tickets for transport to return home are probably all sold out by now, talk about planning! It is the one occasion in the year when the Chinese Diaspora will trek home from across the oceans to spend time as one big family. The New Year’s Eve Reunion dinner is the revered gathering for the family and all returning members of the family will aim to be home by this reunion dinnertime. Many businesses will also shut down for an extended period to take a well-deserved break.
Traditional Chinese customs and beliefs include certain abstentions during the Chinese New Year period. It is believed observing these taboos will ward off bad luck during the year. Common practices include offering prayers at temples and remembering the ancestors (ancestor worship) to seek blessings, abstaining from sweeping the house as dumping trash equates to dumping good fortune. It is the same for washing the hair or doing laundry. On the other hand, wearing red symbolizes good luck, and on the contrary, wearing black or white being mourning colors will invite bad luck, and so does visiting people in mourning. To consult a doctor or to go to a hospital may bring illness. Anger and crying, which are negative, are shunned, and auspicious words and a good spirit are encouraged. Houses are frequently decorated with flowers. These comprise some of the commonly observed practices during the Chinese New Year whatever animal sign may be ruling. In summation, it is about retaining good luck for the year although the desired behavior motivated by the prevailing beliefs nevertheless, yields a good outcome.
When it comes to matters of the kitchen and food, just as many taboos abound, just as are symbols of good fortune acknowledged. For starters, food is prepared in abundance for the New Year’s Eve Reunion dinner. Cooking on New Year’s Day is disallowed with the use of sharp objects such as knives and scissors prohibited to avoid sniping off good fortune. Foods with auspicious-sounding names are favored. Seafood is a favourite namely fish and prawns while steamed chicken and noodles are enjoyed too. The menu may be as expansive as one’s budget permits or it may be modest. The important aspect of the Chinese New Year is to celebrate the entire family being together after a long absence and not only to catch up and enjoy each other’s company but to celebrate each other’s lives when many may have passed on during the year before. The Dragon Year is no different from any other animal sign years from that perspective. It is a celebration of the family.
Ultimately, when we talk blessings, blessings come from God. While observing customs can be traditionally and culturally enriching and fun, we owe our well-being, safety, and prosperity to Almighty God Who has promised “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
Blessed and Happy New Year everyone!!!
Notes:
‘yang’
In simple Feng Shui terms, 2 cosmic opposing forces (‘yin and yang’) merged to form the physical world with the balance of the 2 forces being vital for harmony, success, and blessings. ‘Yin’ represents feminine energy whereas ‘yang’ represents masculine energy, and with it, maleness, heat, brightness or light, heaven, and activity, is found in the mountains, and is represented by the dragon. Excessive ‘yang’ energy may result in restlessness, stress, anxiety, and anger, and for harmony to prevail, needs to be balanced by ‘yin’ energy.
‘ang pow’
Commonly called ‘red packets’, these are red packets containing money gifts. Their significance is not so much how much money it contains but the good luck tied up to the red packet. Try convincing the recipient of this though! These packages are given by married people to unmarried ones so the privilege is lost on matrimony!