At Chinese New Year, we will greet the Year of the Tiger

“Kung-Shi-Fa-Choi” – Happy New Year in Chinese

The “Ox” yield to the great love, and aggressive Tiger (1902, 1914, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010). This year’s Chinese lunar New Year’s day falls on this year’s Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, the celebration of the Chinese year 4707. The Ox, which reigned last year, now yields to the Tiger.

The Tiger is the third animal sign in the 12-year cycle, which is said to have begun with the reign of the Yellow Emperor, Hung-Ti, whose prime minister is credited with “the grouping of the years” into a chronological cycle of 60 years, beginning in 2698 B.C. Thus, 2010 occurs 4698 years after the Yellow Emperor’s reign.

The formal celebration of the Chinese New Year began during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) Though the custom of reckoning time by the phases of the moon was centuries old, over the centuries, this New Year’s practice was elaborated on as succeeding generations found new reasons for celebration. These customs are hard to forget, and to this day, tradition-minded Chinese tend to reject the West Gregorian Calendar, except in connection with international commerce perspective.

The 12 animals that comprise the symbolic cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Serpent, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. Each is honored once during every 12-year cycle, with the first beginning in 2698 B.C.

According to Chinese mythological writing on the universe, the Tiger is a “Yang” (male form or male figure) creature, and a dominate figure in nature. As the Yang rises on the seventh day, the length of the tiger from head to tail is about seven feet, and its stripes are a mixture of “Yin” (female form or female dominant figure) and Yang.

While one source said that the tiger is the “ruler of wild animals, the other calls it a “Divine of the Dog.” As the ruler of the animal kingdom, the tiger could attack and devour demons of every description. Legend has said, if a person drank cooked juice from the tiger skin and wore the tiger’s claws, all evils could be repulsed.

The life span of a tiger is 1,000 years, and upon reaching its 500th year, its skin became white. A white tiger has black stripes and a tail that is longer than its body. It does not eat living things, nor does it wander across the grass. When a ruler is virtuous, the white tiger once sacrificed himself for the gratification of Emperor Ching (156-141 B.C.) who had a zest for hunting, but was unable to secure a tiger. So he made a grand sacrificial offering to the tiger, after which in a dream a tiger said to him, “As your majesty, wants to obtain only my skin and claws I shall die for you to achieve your end.”

Sure enough, a tiger was found dead the next day at the place of sacrifice. His majesty accordingly ordered the skin and teeth removed, and later the remains of the carcass was reborn as a living tiger.

If you are born in the year of Tiger, you’re sensitive, emotional, capable of great love, and a considerate friend. You are also an aggressive, courageous, powerful and dangerous enemy. You’ve a tendency to get carried away and are very stubborn about what you think is right, you are also hard to convince and reluctant to take advice from anyone. Often a Tiger is described as a hothead or rebel. Your sign shows you would make an excellent boss or explorer. On the job, you’re a deep thinker, careful worker, and good planner.

Some Tigers are also good sportsmen (not Tiger Woods). Some Tigers include Marco Polo, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Marilyn Monroe, Paul, Karen and Matthew Chang.

The beginning of Chinese New Year is a time to clean the entire house, worship and meditate your ancestors who had gone before you. Put all new clothes on the children, pay off all old debts. Before the New Year’s Eve arrives, enemies become friends, firecrackers burst into big sound in front of your house to chase away the evil ghosts and some unfortunate the past year. The youngsters go around to bow to their parents, elderly relatives, grandparents and unmarried siblings for new year good luck red envelopes (lucky money). Say “Kung-Shi-Fa-Choi,” which means Happy New Year.

Chinese communities around the world will celebrate this years Chinese New Year two to three weeks before the New Year’s day on Feb. 14, Feb. 13, we’ll celebrate Chinese New Year Eve with family gathering of banquet, festivities among family members, all oriental stores in town will give you a discount for all sorts of merchandise and bargains for their appreciation during all yearlong your purchases.

My sincere good wish for everyone to have a healthy, happy, prosperous, peaceful and very successful Chinese New Year, the year of tough Tiger. As most of our American friends have learned to say, “Kung-Shi-Fa-Choi.”

(Alan Chang, an Independence resident, was a retiree from Harvard Yen-Ching Library, Cambridge, Mass. He is a freelance writer, both Chinese and English since 1965, Boston).