2024 — The Year of the Wood Dragon
The 10th of February marks the beginning of Chinese New Year — the year of the wood dragon. The dragon is considered the most auspicious zodiac sign by many Chinese people. According to popular belief, babies born in dragon years possess remarkable qualities throughout their lives, including cleverness, charm, eloquence, and even wealth. Also known as the Lunar New Year, it is a major festival in the Sinosphere or the Sinic world (Chinese-speaking countries and regions, and countries and regions historically under Chinese influence), including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Vietnam, and Korea.
If you are feeling confused about the Chinese New Year, this week’s video explains the myth and the elements, Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, that are assigned to each zodiac sign. Each year also corresponds to one of the five basic elements (wuxing 五行) in Chinese cosmology, namely Metal (jin 金), Wood (mu 木), Water (shui 水), Fire (huo 火) or Earth (tu 土), creating a 60-year cycle. The universe is believed to be composed of these five elements that interact with each other in a cyclical way. These five elements are the fundamental building blocks of everything around us. The 60-year cycle is a combination of the 12 animal signs and the five elements. The understanding and application of the five elements is an essential aspect of Chinese astrology, cosmology, medicine, philosophy, and feng shui in particular.
The South China Morning Post has created an interactive visual (above) to explain the significance of each of the days during the New Year celebrations. There are also a few do’s and don’ts, such as:
- Don’t clean… anything
- Leave all the doors and windows open on day one
- Don’t cut your hair (and, preferably, don’t wash it either)
- In fact, no knives, scissors, or any other sharp objects, either
- Avoid black and white clothing, wear red instead
Wherever you are in the world, enjoy your Chinese New Year!
References
All You Need to Know about Dragons — South China Morning Post
Lunar New Year 2024: What does the Year of the Dragon mean? — The University of Sydney
Although Often Referred to as Chinese New Year, the Lunar New Year is Celebrated All Over the World — Fodors.com
12 Chinese New Year Superstitions to Follow for Good Luck — Buro247.com
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Ms Adrienna Zsakay is the Founder and CEO of Circular Economy Asia Inc, and this article represents her opinions on the circular economy. Circular World Video of the Week is brought to you by Circular World™ Media — a brand owned by Circular Economy Asia Inc.
