The Year of the Tiger
Written by Inner Fire Yoga teacher Li Li Jones. Li Li was born and raised in ChongQing, China and emigrated to the US in 2006. She now lives in Madison with her husband and two children and has been teaching for Inner Fire Yoga since 2018.
The Lunar New Year, sometimes called the Chinese New Year, is no longer just celebrated in Asia, but around the world. The Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the passing of time and is celebrated with family and friends. With gongs and dancing, feasts and fireworks, the celebration warms the cold winter and brings hope for good harvest in the year to come.
On the Julian (solar) calendar, the date changes from year to year, generally occurring sometime between January 21 to February 20. Each year in the lunar calendar is represented by one of the 12 zodiac animals. Each animal represents one year. Every 12 years, the circle resets.
In addition to the animals, the 5 elements of earth, water, fire, wood, and metal are also mapped onto the traditional lunar calendar. Each single year within a cycle is associated with an animal and each 12-year cycle corresponds to an element. The year 2022 is slated to be the year of the Water Tiger which occurred on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. The Water Tiger comes up only once every 60 years.
Many people believe that a person born in a particular animal year will have the personality traits of that animal. If you were born in 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, or 2022, you are a tiger! Tigers are born leaders, action-oriented, strong, and known for courage and bravery that clears away evil.
The Lunar New Year is a very old holiday and now it is celebrated all around the world by billions of people. Each culture has its own way of observing the holiday with various foods and traditions that symbolize prosperity, abundance and togetherness. In China, it is called Spring Festival and celebrates the end of the winter and promises that spring is coming. In Vietnam, it is known as Tet, which means “festival of the first morning.” In Korea, the celebration is called Seollal, the name for the new year.
Many of the traditions done at this time are associated with good fortune, like sweeping the home before the holiday to rid inauspicious spirits which might have collected during the old year. Cleaning is also meant to open space for good will and good luck.
After the home is cleaned, most people put out decorations. Red is the color of happiness and luck in China and Vietnam. People typically decorate their windows and doors with items like lanterns, paper-cutouts and couplets that include themes of good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity.
A large feast is a big part of the tradition, which includes enjoying the meal, being with family and friends and sharing memories of loved ones. For Chinese families, it is on New Year’s Eve. For other traditions, the meal is on New Year’s Day.
Certain foods have special meaning of prosperity, abundance and good luck. For example, fried rice is associated with getting along, pork is associated with wealth, duck with happiness, fish with long life and good fortune, dumplings with a happy family life, oranges and tangerines with wealth and good fortune.
On New Year’s Day, the elder family members might give children red envelopes filled with money. The amount of money is usually an even number because odd numbers are thought of as unlucky. The envelopes symbolizes the giving and receiving of luck.
Millions of fireworks explode and sparkle on New Year’s Day. Today they are really just for fun. Long ago, they were set off to keep away evil spirits in the year to come. Likewise, Lion Dances with their loud drums are believed to chase away harm.
Finally, the lantern festival is a bright and happy way to end the long celebrations. It takes place under the light of the New Year’s first full moon. The lantern, colored red for good luck, has a prayer of hope written on it. Releasing lanterns into the sky stands for letting the past go as you look into the future.
No matter how this holiday is celebrated, it has something in common with our yoga practice in that we come together in our community for abundance and togetherness. This is a warm, happy holiday full of good wishes in a time of changing energies and transitions.
As we transition into spring, we Feng Shui our way to a new year. Consider giving your home a deep clean and decluttering in a meditative way. Decluttering is a yogic way of reconnecting with the idea of Saucha (cleanliness and purity) and Santosha (contentment). Decluttering anything that does not make your heart sparkle allows us to retain the value that means the most to us so as to live our lives with more clarity and peace. Pranayama is a sure way to cleanse and purify within.
Both Saucha and Santosha let us appreciate what we have and give gratitude for it. We don’t look for happiness in things, instead we define that happiness lies within ourselves. When we make the room in our heart, we are more likely to focus on our values and intentions. The process of cleaning and decluttering, like a yoga practice, takes time and energy. Sometimes it can even be very emotional, so take your time and be kind to yourself.
The yang (masculine) tiger year will bring out our emotions and things will change rapidly. Be prepared to resolve, embrace your yoga practice and flow with more ease. Tigers, like domestic cats, like to play and stretch, so try to get on the mat as often as you can for self-care and to show yourself some love.
Happy Lunar New Year!
Wishing you good fortune and good health,
Lili