chinese lunar new year

LUNAR NEW YEAR or Spring Festival in China is not just one day of celebration as it is in the United States. The Lunar new year is, of course determined by the lunar calendar. The festivities starting on January 31st extend for 15 days. Other Asian countries (including Korea, Vietnam and Japan) get in on the celebration.

THE NEW MOON starting the night of January 30th this year is also known as the Black Moon. In addition, it's the second Supermoon of the month. This is similar to the Blue Moon where there are two Full Moons in a calendar month. Some Pagan cultures imbue such a lunation a lot of power. This raises the stakes with regard to any ritual celebration of the lunar cycle (such as the Chinese Lunar New Year). It is a particularly auspicious time in the months ahead to devise a new way of being. It's a time to revise old habits with a goal toward a better future.

THE CHINESE ZODIAC, known as Sheng Xiao is based on a 12-year cycle with each year being related to an animal sign. This year's trip around the sun will be the Year of the Horse. Each year is designated by an animal that interacts with one of five "earthly branches," (earth, water, fire, wood and metal), with this year being a "yang wood" year—defining the mood and direction of the world.

THE YEAR OF THE HORSE contains a great deal of fire energy. Along with wood, the flames are stoked. In a "yang wood" year people are said to stand firmly by their principles, making it harder to negotiate or compromise. The combination of a Horse year and a "yang wood" year only happens every 60 years and is historically marked by regional warfare.

THIS TREE branch is guarded by a Chinese-style horse and held upright in a faux bois container in front of a faux bois background, both representing "yang wood." Incense is a common tradition at altar rituals throughout the holiday and represents the fiery energy of 2014. The tree is hung with pleated paper disks and glass lanterns. The paper disks represent fireworks; the noise from which is to scare away the half-dragon, half-lion monster "Nian" who comes out of hiding during the Lunar New Year. By scaring away Nian, the Chinese wish that the coming year will be full of opportunities and prosperity. The glass lanterns symbolize the lantern festival which marks the conclusion of the celebrations (this year on Valentine's Day). The "forced branch" with flowers represents spring. And displaying and eating tangerines and oranges is said to bring wealth and luck. The tradition stems from the way the Chinese words for gold and orange sound alike, while the word for tangerine echoes luck.

RED ENVELOPES are handed out to younger generations by their parents, grandparents, relatives, and even close neighbors and friends during Chinese New Year and usually contain "lucky" money. Giving and receiving red envelopes, gifts, and business cards is a solemn act. They are usually presented and received with both hands, although the culture has become less formal about such things.

MANY FOLKTALES are also shared among families and friends during the Lunar New Year. This year the Story of the Taoist Farmer (The Horse that Ran Away) will surely be one of many parables that is repeated:

This farmer had only one horse, and one day the horse ran away. The neighbors came to console him over his terrible loss. The farmer said, "What makes you think it is so terrible?"

A month later, the horse came home—this time bringing with her two beautiful wild horses. The neighbors became excited at the farmer's good fortune. Such lovely strong horses! The farmer said, "What makes you think this is good fortune?"

The farmer's son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg. All the neighbors were very distressed. Such bad luck! The farmer said, "What makes you think it is bad?"

A war came, and every able-bodied man was conscripted and sent into battle. Only the farmer's son, because he had a broken leg, remained. The neighbors congratulated the farmer. "What makes you think this is good?" said the farmer.*

THIS STORY is an example of an ancient Chinese philosophy known as Taoism. This Taoist farmer believed in accepting events as they come, without becoming too elated by the highs, or too saddened by the lows. The Taoist principle of living in harmony with nature and what it brings, serves as a metaphor for life. It is an understanding that difficult and stressful events can turn out to have a long-run positive effect on your life. It's a bold reminder that everything happens for a reason (or maybe only for a season).

IN CELEBRATING the lunar new year, it is good to remember that bit of Taoist philosophy and apply it to all the ups and downs we all inevitably face during the course of a year.

©2014 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland.

*The Horse that Ran Away as told by Executive editor, Elise Hancock, in the Johns Hopkins Magazine, November 1993. 

welcoming the new year

IF IT'S TRUE what is said about the number 13 being the unluckiest number, then this year has played out the way it should. It has been one of the unluckiest years on record, in my life anyway, as well as a number of friend's lives. The New Year's holiday can be one of trepidation, but since 2014 can only get better than 2013—in my book—I give the new year a whole-hearted and welcoming embrace. That's what the New Year's celebration has always been about—setting intentions for the future.

THIS TREE signifies a celebration of the best that has yet to come. And it will be colorful, fiery and bright. I know that if I can create a magical tree such as this, then I surely can muster some of that magic in my own life. Let it be so. That is my wish for the New Year. Although I'm not particularly religious, I am spiritual, and my God is found in nature and the cosmos, so I'll share the best-known form of the serenity prayer to push my intent to the universe on this New Moon New Year's Eve:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

THE GRACE of a deer is also significant. Ever alert and at one within its natural surroundings, the beautiful symbol of a deer is a poetic metaphor for leaping ahead to the new year. May the original form of the serenity prayer be a comfort in the New Year, no matter whom or what your God embodies.

The original words, attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr: 

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next. 
Amen.

©2013-2014 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland.