This January 28, Chinese women
across Canada and elsewhere in the world will busy themselves scouring
their homes in a ritual cleansing - casting out evil spirits. At sunset,
they will throw open their windows to release any remaining malevolent
beings - and thus, the Year of the Tiger will begin.
For thousands of Chinese-Canadians across the country, this day will
mark the beginning of a new year - one that, in keeping with the character
of the Tiger, promises to be a wild one.
In with a Bang, Out with a Whimper
The tiger is one of 12 animal signs in the lunar
zodiac. The rat, ox, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken,
dog and pig are the others.
Each new year in the lunar calendar is named for one of these
creatures, following a 12-year cycle, with each said to possess the
characteristics particular to the animal for which it was named.
The Year of the Tiger is an explosive one. According to The Handbook
of Chinese Horoscopes by Theodora Lau, it is a year earmarked for war,
disagreement and disasters of all kinds. It usually begins with a bang and
ends with a whimper. Nothing will be done on a small, timid scale.
Everything, good and bad, will be carried to extremes.
Lunar astrology tells us that, in the Year of the Tiger, fortunes will
be won and lost, people will make drastic decisions,and tempers will flare
all around. "Like the Tiger," Lau writes, "we will tend to charge without
thinking and end up regretting our rashness."
Other Tiger years include 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974 and
1986.
The forecast for 1998 is not all dismal though, Lau tells us: "the
forceful and vigorous Tiger year can also be used to inject new life and
vitality into lost causes, sinking ventures and drab or failing
industries. It will likewise be a time for massive change, (and) for new
and bold, especially highly controversial, ideas."
Celebrating the Past and the Future
Lunar New Year celebrations have existed for 2,500
years since the time of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. Today, they
continue to be an important element of Chinese culture.
Visiting with family is a primary focus. Around the world some 750
million Chinese people gather with family members in what is called "the
largest annual migration on the planet" - to revel in old traditions and
hope for future prosperity.
Central to the 15 days of celebration is recognition of the cycle of
life which unites all members of the family. Respects are paid to deceased
ancestors by adults and youngsters alike.
On New Year's Day, all stores and businesses close down. The time is
reserved for immediate family and devoted to feasting. Women cook
traditional foods, including fish - a symbol for abundance and the
granting of wishes. Water is another important symbol in the feast - a
source of life and a symbol of wealth.
On the second day of New Year celebrations, married women visit their
parental homes with their husbands and children. On the fifth day - the
day of the god of wealth - commercial life returns as shops and businesses
reopen.
Celebrations end with the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day - with
the first full moon of the year. Colourful lanterns, often in the form of
the appropriate zodiac creature, are displayed and festive parades
complete with dancing lions and dragons pour through the streets.
Chinese Immigration to Canada
The celebration of the Lunar New Year has grown as a
Canadian reality, as more and more Chinese people have settled in this
country.
The first Chinese community in Canada was founded around 1802 at
Barkerville, southeast of Prince George, British Columbia - at the time of
the Fraser River gold rush. The majority of these immigrants were from
Guangdong province, an area between Canton, China and Hong Kong.
The next major wave of immigration was in the 1880s when 15,000 men
were contracted to help build the British Columbia section of the Canadian
Pacific Railway. When the trans-continental railway was completed in 1885,
many of these men returned to China, while some settled in the Prairie
provinces and Eastern Canada.
Today, about one million Chinese immigrants live in Canada - two-thirds
in Vancouver and Toronto. Though Chinese society in Canada has been
transformed over the years, many traditional, family values are still
maintained - the majority of young, working Chinese continue to give money
to support their parents, and many grandparents live with their children.
Celebrating with Chinese - Canadians
Chinese New Year festivities in Canada, both private
and public, give Chinese-Canadians an opportunity to renew their sense of
cultural and ethnic identity and connect with past generations.
To commemorate these cultural celebrations, Canada Post is proud to
issue a single domestic-rate Year of the Tiger stamp.
Designed by Raymond Mah of Vancouver with illustration by Tammi Hall,
Gavin Chow and Leigh Bridges, the stamp prominently features the head and
shoulders of a tiger - an intimidating image of the fierce cat. Two
Chinese characters, meaning "Year of the Tiger," rendered in calligraphy
by Leung Hon Kwan, frame the right side of the image.
Red is the dominant colour - a Chinese symbol of joy and happiness.
Gold accents the artwork - a colour representative of prosperity,
happiness, and good luck.
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