In like a tiger...

The lion may hold the title elsewhere, but the tiger is king of beasts in China. It rules the earthbound creatures, just as the dragon dominates the waters. Children of a tiger year are said to be courageous, adventurous and outgoing. Those born in 1998, 1986 and other increments of twelve years can look forward to an exciting year, but what about the rest of the zodiac? What can monkeys, dragons, cocks and the rest of the celestial menagerie expect in the year ahead? As one might expect from the imprecise science of astrology, the answer is far from certain.

Most laymen don’t know a star chart from a bagua and fail to realize that, in addition to the well-known animals of the zodiac, each year is associated with one of five elements: earth, water, fire, metal, and wood. (If only the periodic table were so simple.) This year will be a metal tiger year, also known as the white tiger, as metal corresponds to the color white. In ancient China, long before the days of Sigfried and Roy, the white tiger was one of four mythical animals guarding each of the cardinal directions. This legendary beast is said to be protector of mankind and the teachings of Buddha. Traditionally, mothers would sew tigers into children’s shoes and hats to ward of demons and bad luck. The tiger is also a constellation, and like the mythical qilin 麒麟, is said to appear on earth only during times of peace and virtuous leadership. But tigers are also associated with warfare and generals, who often would wear a jade tiger emblem. According to most of these associations, one would think that we would be in for a good year, and indeed, some associate the element of metal with gold and wealth, but many astrologers are predicting otherwise...

Tigers are adventurous and prone to taking risks, which might not bode well in these tumultuous times. And tigers generally conflict with snakes and monkeys, so people born in those years (myself included) should be wary this year. Furthermore, tigers generally are associated with the elements of wood, earth, and even fire, but they tend to conflict with metal. A commonly cited image of this is a tiger wearing uncomfortable armor, squirming and bucking to get it off. And as one might expect from a carnivore equipped for battle, this could be a sign of war. The last metal tiger year was 1950, when war broke out in Korea and the United States and Soviet Union were racing to build a hydrogen bomb. So is this tiger going to be a docile feline that will usher in wealth or a savage beast subjecting mankind to the rule of the jungle? All we can do is light firecrackers, hang some red lanterns, eat long-life noodles and hope for the best. Gong xi fa cai! 恭喜发财!