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Chinese New Year - Tiger People

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The Tiger ( 虎 ), is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Tiger is associated with the earthly branch symbol 寅.
 

Year Of The Tiger

1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998

Tiger people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They can be extremely short-tempered, however. Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority. sometimes Tiger people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late. They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful. Tigers are most compatible with Horses, Dragons, and Dogs.

Here are some interesting cultural depictions about the tiger in Asian culture:

The tiger replaces the lion as King of the Beasts in cultures of eastern Asia, representing royalty, fearlessness and wrath. Its forehead has a marking which resembles the Chinese character 王, which means "king"; consequently, many cartoon depictions of tigers in China and Korea are drawn with 王 on their forehead.

Of great importance in Chinese myth and culture, the tiger is one of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals. Also in various Chinese art and martial art, the tiger is depicted as an earth symbol and equal rival of the Chinese dragon- the two representing matter and spirit respectively. In fact, the Southern Chinese martial art Hung Ga is based on the movements of the Tiger and the Crane. In Imperial China, a tiger was the personification of war and often represented the highest army general (or present day defense secretary), while the emperor and empress were represented by a dragon and phoenix, respectively. The White Tiger (Chinese: 白虎; pinyin: Bái Hǔ) is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West (西方白虎), and it represents the west and the autumn season.

In Buddhism, it is also one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolising anger, with the monkey representing greed and the deer lovesickness.

Sala fighting the tiger, the symbol of Hoysala Empire at Belur, Karnataka, India.

The Tungusic people considered the Siberian tiger a near-deity and often referred to it as "Grandfather" or "Old man". The Udege and Nanai called it "Amba". The Manchu considered the Siberian tiger as Hu Lin, the king.

The widely worshiped Hindu goddess Durga, an aspect of Devi-Parvati, is a ten-armed warrior who rides the tigress (or lioness) Damon into battle. In southern India the god Aiyappa was associated with a tiger.

The weretiger replaces the werewolf in shapeshifting folklore in Asia; in India they were evil sorcerers while in Indonesia and Malaysia they were somewhat more benign.

The Tiger is the national animal of Bangladesh, Nepal, India (Bengal Tiger) Malaysia (Malayan Tiger), North Korea and South Korea (Siberian Tiger).

The Tiger in Literature and Popular Culture:

The tiger continues to be a subject in literature; both Rudyard Kipling, in The Jungle Book, and William Blake, in Songs of Experience, depict the tiger as a menacing and fearful animal. In The Jungle Book, the tiger, Shere Khan, is the wicked mortal enemy of the protagonist, Mowgli. However, other depictions are more benign: Tigger, the tiger from A. A. Milne's Winnie- the-Pooh stories, is cuddly and likable. In the Man Booker Prize winning novel "Life of Pi," the protagonist, Pi Patel, sole human survivor of a ship wreck in the Pacific Ocean, befriends another survivor: a large Bengal Tiger. The famous comic strip Calvin and Hobbes features Calvin and his stuffed tiger, Hobbies. A tiger is also featured on the cover of the popular cereal, Frosted Flakes (also marketed as "Frosties") bearing the name "Tony the Tiger".

Source: Wikipedia

Want to learn more about the Chinese New Year? Check out these websites:

Chinese New Year
China the Beautiful: Chinese New Year 
The History of Chinese New Year - History.com

Celebrate the Feeling

Happy Valentine's Day

I wanted to find a different voice explaining this annual holiday. I was pleasantly surprised when I came across a website devoted to Valentine's Day from India. Enjoy!

General View on Valentines Day

Every celebration is representative of a past event or an occurrence which may have happened on the 'date' some years, months or days back. The occasion of Valentines Day on February 14 has a similar association with it. It is understood to have originated as a Christian religious festival honoring a Saint. This is another reason for it being referred to by the name of Saint Valentine's Day or St. Valentines Day. Its origins date back to ancient Rome of 270 AD. It was due to the rebellion and sacrifice of a catholic priest with the same name that this day came to be celebrated. Saint Valentine supported lovers or couples in love by getting them married against the wishes of the then Emperor Claudius.

Day of Romance and Fertility
Some other associations with Valentines Day are related to the spring season. The spring season begins around mid February in most parts of the world. Therefore, this is the time when birds (in the European subcontinent where this festival originated) go out and look for their mates. This is the reason that this day has been chosen for its reference to the mating season of birds and to fertility. Another association of Valentines Day is to some fertility festivals of early European era. Ancient Athenians (people of Greek origin) observed February as the month of Gamelion to celebrate the marriage of Greek Gods - Zeus and Hera, ancient Romans (people who lived in the Roman empire, Rome is the capital of the present day Italy) celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia to honor the Roman Gods of fertility - Lupercus and Faunus.

Present Day Context
The present day context of this festival is as a day that honors love, commitment and promises for a life together. And understandably so, since we as a people hanker after those things that are usually lacking in the world around us. This is a major reason for this craze regarding love and romance. Though, there is a rising trend of 'celebrating love in all its forms', this festival mainly retains its initial relevance to romantic love. It is still known more for its affiliation to romance and sensuousness than for any other kind of bond.

Views on Valentines Day Celebrations
There are conflicting views on the celebration of Valentine's Day. Some people still recognize it as a Christian festival. And thus, do not even acknowledge its presence as an event to be marked in a calender year. The people who are critical of Valentines Day have two reasons to back their approach. One is the distinct religious leanings of this celebration. The other is that some people simply find this celebration silly, frivolous and impractical. Then there are those who are not bothered about the origins of this festival and associate it with rediscovering love and romance. It is to this group of Valentine Day lovers that this day owes its popularity to.

Valentine's Day has also undergone a transformation from a quiet, unassuming observance to a loud commercialized affair. There are different takes on this aspect among the world population. Some people celebrate this day with pomp and gaiety whereas others keep it a private affair. This approach to festivities of Valentines Day depends on two factors, one of which is the cultural and familial influences, the other is the age factor. There is an age and stage for these celebrations, but then some people never lose their innocent approach to love and life.

Source: St. Valentine's Day (Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India)

Oh Henry

Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
US Transcendentalist author

Bliss

(Image: glitter-graphics.com /javaturtle)

Mother of the Year

WARM SPRINGS, Ga. — A Georgia woman is in jail after police say she forced her son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer as punishment for bad grades.

Lynn Middlebrooks Geter, 38, is charged with one count each of animal cruelty, child cruelty and battery after she forced her son to kill his pet hamster with a hammer as punishment for bad grades.

The sheriff of rural Meriwether County told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday that the 12-year-old boy told his teacher about the killing. The teacher reported it to the Division of Family and Child Services, who contacted police.

Sheriff Steve Whitlock said 38-year-old Lynn Middlebrooks Geter of Warm Springs faces one charge each of animal cruelty, child cruelty and battery.

The sheriff's office said she remained in the Meriwether County jail early Friday. It was not immediately known if she had a lawyer.

Meriwether County is located about 90 minutes southwest of Atlanta.

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com

(AP Photo/Meriwether County Sheriff's Department)

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Wow, what a heartless bitch. And with a hammer? I bet she never helped him with his homework either. He will probably need some therapy, or baby sleeping pills to help keep that bloody image out of his dreams. Oh wait, there are no baby sleeping pills. That means he'll probably have nightmares for a very long time. Maybe the rest of his life. I really feel sorry for the poor kid. I hope she'll still be rotting in jail when Mother's Day rolls around.

(Image: glitter-graphics.com)

Happy Groundhog Day

Be Happy

Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.

People are always telling me to just "be happy". They forget there might be a reason there isn't a smile on my face today.

Research has identified a number of attributes that correlate with happiness: relationships and social interaction, extraversion, marital status, employment, health, democratic freedom, optimism, religious involvement, income and proximity to other happy people. (Source: Wikipedia)

I'm hoping I'll get brave enough to write about certain events of last year, many that have spilled over into 2010. Stay tuned...