Kong je Fat Choy! – Congratulations and Be Prosperous!
February 7th 2008 marked the start of the lunar year, and the Chinese Year of the Rat.
The Rat year is the first of the 12-year cycle in the Chinese zodiac and represents new beginnings. Each year in the cycle is symbolised by a different animal. In the same way that a zodiac sign in the western horoscope is supposed to say something about your future and your character, so the Chinese animal year you were born in gives you certain characteristics.
For example, Rat people are supposed to be charming, charismatic, practical, and hardworking (traits we like to remember), but can also be cruel and calculating, quick-tempered and aggressive (attributes we prefer to forget). Additionally, if you were born during the day you will have an easier life than if you are a night rat. The elemental sign of your year—metal, water, wood, fire or earth—can also have an influence on how you get on in life.
It is important to know what animal you are so that you can decide whom to marry. If you are a Rat, and your true love was born in the year of the Dragon, then go ahead and get married. You two are very compatible. However, if a Rat falls in love with a Pig, there is trouble ahead for you. It would be best to break up and look for someone else. Knowing your animal sign is also useful in determining your age. In a society where birth dates may not be well recorded, everyone knows their animal sign. My mother knew she was a chicken, and hence her age, even though her passport said she was four years younger.
The lunar new year of the Chinese calendar moves in the Gregorian calendar, falling sometime between January 22nd and February 19th. If your birthday falls between these dates you will have to check to be sure what Chinese animal you are. Some famous Rats are: William Shakespeare, Zinadine Zidane, Gwynneth Paltrow, Antonio Banderas, and our Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero (Now, you should be able to calculate how old he will be this year).
Chinese New Year is a time for the extended family to get together. Children pay their respects to their uncles and aunties (unrelated family friends of the older generation are also called “Uncle” and “Auntie”), and collect red paper envelopes with lucky money inside (called “Ang Pow” in the Hokkien dialect, “Laysee” in the Cantonese dialect and “Hong bao” in Mandarin). There must be an even amount of money in the packet for good luck (2,4,6). You tend to find that the richest relatives are least generous (…only ten cents from Uncle S.K.Lee again!), while real family friends give the most. Note: For “Ang Pow” collection purposes, you are considered to be a child until you are married. That’s another reason to put off the wedding until you have found the right partner!
Chinese New Year is also a time for eating. Many of the special dishes have a symbolism associated with bringing good luck. The most obvious is “long life noodles”. Try to eat them without cutting them! Fish is also symbolic, since the Cantonese word for fish, “Yu,” sounds like the words for wish and for abundance. There is an indigestible sweet round pudding made of sticky rice with layers of red bean paste in the middle. The sweetness symbolizes a rich, sweet life, while the layers symbolize rising abundance for the coming year. Finally, the round shape signifies family reunion. It is the type of dish you reluctantly eat one spoonful of.
What can the world expect during this year of the Rat? Fortune tellers are not very optimistic. Apparently two of the five elements, water and earth, are in conflict, so expect tsunamis, epidemics and financial and political turmoil.
We may smile quietly at such superstitions in this modern age. All the same, my mother said to me: “Remember, Daughter, you are a Rat.” (Following Chinese tradition, she always called me “Daughter” instead of using my name.) “On no account should you marry a Horse.” I took her advice and have for many years been happily married to a Dog!
by Chris Betterton-Jones
