This year, Chinese New Year falls on Monday, January 23rd,
so it’s just around the corner.
Different years are supposed to be auspicious for anyone who was born in
a year ruled by the same animal sign, so 2012 should be a significant year for
anyone with the sign of the dragon, (born in the years 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952,
1964, 1976, 1988, and 2000).
In my previous post, where I suggested throwing black-eyed
peas as part of a New Years celebration, I mentioned the bean-throwing ritual
that is part of the Japanese Setsubun festival; men with a given year’s animal
sign are the preferred persons to officiate at such ceremonies. If there are any dragons in your social
circle, you might encourage them to take a focal role in whatever festivities
you may be planning in 2012. (Just as
2012 should be good for dragon people, dragon people should be good for 2012.)
The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac are also paired
with the five elements of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood, and 2012 is a
Water Dragon year. 12 signs times 5
elements = 60 different sign-element combinations, and every 60 years the cycle
repeats. This also means that when
anyone reaches the age of 60, he or she might experience a landmark year, because
it has come back around to both his or her sign and element. Therefore, 2012 should be a particularly
interesting year for anyone born in 1952.
Curious as to whether the Chinese zodiac year would give
anyone a special advantage in a presidential race, I looked into the birth
years and signs for President Obama and the Republican contenders, but none of
them are dragons. FYI, Obama is Metal
Ox, while Romney is a Fire Pig, Gingrich is a Water Sheep, Paul is a Wood Pig,
Huntsman is a Metal Rat, Santorum is an Earth Dog, and Perry is a Metal Tiger.
