Happy Lunar New Year. This is the Year of the Fire Horse, the least auspicious year in the 60 year Chinese astrological cycle (12 animals x 5 elements). It is a year marked historically by calamity, and children born this year — especially female children — are considered unlucky in Chinese culture.
However, it is also considered a time for bold action to try to offset the luck cycle. The Chinese Cultural Revolution was begun on this year in the last cycle; it also turned out to be a great calamity in spite of the boldness of the attempt.
Grin said, " it also turned out to be a great calamity in spite of the boldness of the attempt. "
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the German leader who talked about the four types of commanders. The smart and industrious, the smart and lazy, the stupid and lazy, and the stupid and industrious, the last being especially dangerous to success, and applicable to your observation.
I am sure you all are familiar with the quote, I can't remember the guys name.
Completely off-topic, but seeing the horse art you used for this, I am reminded of your wife's incredible talent. I hope her muse is still alive and well. 0>;~}
ReplyDeleteIn fact she just flew home today from teaching a workshop on mold making for ceramic horse sculptures.
DeleteWhen I lived in Japan, lo these many years ago now, I dated a Japanese woman born in the last year of the fire horse. When we started going out she felt like she had to warn me of her birth year. I like the pageantry and stories of the Chinese zodiac (which Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam all celebrate, with minor differences), but don't believe in any of the metaphysics, so of course it didn't bother me.
ReplyDeleteThinking back, though, either she, I, or we really were bad luck. It was a year marked by calamity and took bold measures to survive. Or, at least, bolder measures than most years.
I haven't seen her in many years and it's strange to think of her as 60 now.
- Tom
If you look it up, she was one of a very few Japanese women born that year. There was a huge drop in the birth rate because of the concern of having especially daughters in that year.
DeleteThe Japanese can be odd. They'll say they don't really believe in all this, but then most of them will act as if they do. I made sense of it at the time by assuming they didn't believe it as a set of intellectual propositions, but that they did believe in the traditions and practices they'd been raised in.
Delete- Tom
Fascinating. I'm a fire horse, and never knew it was supposed to be a bad thing. I about the luckiest person imaginable, if you ask me, so I certainly don't think the metaphysical claims hold- either that or I'm an exception to the rule.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how much water the astrology holds. I do think the psychology of those who grew up in the culture is important. I wonder, for example, if the two year 'fire cycle' will impact decisions in the PRC about matters like Taiwan -- Horse is aligned with fire anyway, so a fire Horse is 'double fire' and this year is followed by the Year of the Fire Sheep, also double-fire year.
DeleteYou might think it wouldn't, really, but in 1966 the birth rate in Japan (for which we have reasonably good statistics) dropped by about 25% over the concern about unlucky children. There's a clear psychological effect, whether or not there really is a metaphysical one.