Lies and deceit. That is my life! A few days after my 16th birthday I discovered a horrifying revelation. Something that changed my entire life. All these years I thought I was a Rooster but… I am a Monkey.
It all started a few days ago, I had been researching the Chinese Zodiac when something caught my eye. It was an interesting fact that said if your birthday was before 21 January, then you weren’t the zodiac of that year but the year before, because the Chinese Zodiac follows the lunar calendar.
I was shocked. I kept on wondering, does this mean I am not a Rooster? I couldn’t believe it. So, I asked a local Chinese woman and she said it was true. I wasn’t a Rooster, no, I was a Monkey. According to her, and most of the younger generation have forgotten this; the new animal’s year begins on Chinese New Year and not on 1 January. She told me that now I would be smart and confident like a Monkey and not shy like a Rooster. Would I really change, though?
Other than the fact that my life had been a lie, I realised the Chinese Zodiac and CNY had changed over the years just like any tradition. I used to be so excited for the year of the Rooster to come and now the year of the Monkey…
But for all of you who get excited when your Zodiacal animal comes around, it may be better for you to hide under your bed.
Until recently, when I found out for the better, I was dying for the year of the Rooster to come around, but what I didn’t know is that for entire year I would be offending the God of Age, Tai Sui (太歲). See accompanying article).
So, if you’re an Ox, it is recommended to wear a lot of safety gear.
Or… as much red as you can. It is common knowledge that the wearing of red underwear, red socks, red jewelry etc. can ward off misfortune, but there is another less well-known rule. That red item you wear must to be something a loved one bought for you; friends, family, spouse, etc., or it won’t dispel evil.
That God of Age is just the beginning of the problem, Then there is the God of Water, Shui Shen, (水神). If you want to avoid offending them, best to be careful on which days you wash your hair during Chinese New Year. For you may have bad luck for the rest of the year…
In Mandarin the character for hair is “发”, pronounced “fa”, which is similar to the characters for wealth, “发财”, pronounced “facai”. Hence, it is believed that if you wash your hair on the first day of the lunar year then in a way you are washing away all of your wealth.
So, my advice; wash your hair the day before or wait until the third day of the new year. Otherwise, face the wrath of the sea. In addition, the first and second day of the lunar year are celebrated as Shui Shen’s birthday and so washing clothes on these days is also considered to be offensive.
But what place do such superstitions have in the modern era? Are they not just for old people?
I asked around my class of Chinese teenagers whether they had any traditions they followed during CNY. Two told me that they wore red underwear that their mothers had bought for them on the first day of the new year.
The tradition had lasted for some people but it had also adapted; they wore it every year even if it wasn’t their Zodiacal year.
Another tradition that emerged was the putting of a coin in a dumpling. Families will eat dumplings on new year’s day; inside one of them will be a coin. Whoever gets it is considered lucky. Other traditions such as red envelopes are truly timeless and shall most likely outlive us all, even if they become virtual in the form of WeChat or Alipay red packets.
So, all you Oxen, I beg of you to be cautious…
Protect yourselves by wearing as much red as you can and beware. If you don’t wash your hair or your clothes during the first few days of the new year and you find a coin in a dumpling, you’ll be just fine. Happy Chinese New Year!
