2019 Chinese Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year 2019 Year of the Pig
Gong hei fat choy or gong xi fa cai
This year’s Lunar New Year is on Tuesday February 5th, 2019. It the first new moon of the lunar year. Now is it a pig or a boar? People see it as both. But think for a moment about our perception of each animal. Boars we see as courageous, strong, fierce, wild and perhaps reckless. Yet, pigs we see as loyal, friendly, sweet and gluttonous.
It is an earth year so wearing hues of brown are fitting for the earth, however for the New Year’s celebration it is fitting to reign in the new year with more festive, bright colors. In general, wearing new clothes is a symbol of new beginnings in China. Wearing red is auspicious. Celebrating the new year is all about color and rebirth.
It is a yin year and we want to nurture nature and what we take into our lives. Consider your impact on the environment and commit to conscious practices. Use reusable shopping bags and water bottles, eat food grown and raised humanely and support small local farms. Make an effort to carpool and recycle. Hold elected officials accountable for clean drinking water and uncontaminated oceans, rivers, lakes and streams. These are just some ideas to guide you. This is a year to think about what we put in our bodies, minds and hearts with compassion not judgement.
The pig is the last of the 12 symbols of the Chinese Zodiac. The earth in pig symbolizes wealth. Pigs are social and this year it is about using that grounded earth energy to support us in expanding our network of friends and business associates. Success tends to come at the end of a project and not during because pig is the last symbol of the zodiac. Just remember to not be so social that you are afraid to speak your mind when necessary, sometimes we need to add a little boar to that pig energy. On the flip side, be mindful to not participate in reckless behavior. Social graces start at home so be a friend to yourself and your loved ones. Pig energy is a good time to gather loyal friendships but remember love and kindness is give and take.
Some say pig is the last symbol because he was lazy and the last to arrive at the emperor’s request when choosing animals for the zodiac. Other’s say wolf destroyed his home and he had to rebuild it securely before he would leave and that is why he was late. I look at these two stories and say we should look this year at where we need to activate and where we need to take care of our personal matters with responsibility. These would be good ways to support ourselves. Responsibility means simply that we are ABLE TO RESPOND. We want to have moral integrity to balance our lives.
Planning comes easy for some and is more difficult for others. I think what often happens is we plan certain aspects of our lives but not all. Do we plan our meals and when we will eat? Are we planning when we will sleep, bathe, work, play and rest? Planning helps us to not feel the guilt/resentment cycle. Many times, there is guilt when we have down time for ourselves or socially engage and resentment can pop up when we are working and everyone else is off on a lovely vacation or taking that extended lunch break. However, if we plan these things within our days, weeks & months then it lessens the emotional reaction and does not feed the guilt/resentment trap. If pig was late because he over slept should he feel guilty? If his home was attacked and he had to fix his home first and received last place in the zodiac should he be resentful? Blame has no place in pig energy. It is not in pig’s nature and we should learn from that and let go of blame. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Peaceful movement through life can be cultivated. Practice becoming aware of your thoughts and feelings. We cannot change what we do not acknowledge. If we spend too much time worrying about what others think then we have lost sight of our purpose to take care of ourselves with strength, dignity, balance & love.
So, as you are looking at your plans and working through your schedules, remember that life throws us curve balls and none more than in the last hour so be prepared to be flexible when appropriate and stand firmly rooted where needed.
Pigs in the Chinese Zodiac are gentle in nature and even tempered so practice those qualities for the New Year. What a wonderful world it would be if we were all gentler and even tempered.
Healthy, Happy New Year!
Nora Sullivan Houndalas
Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Acupuncture, Herbology, Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Teacher
L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., M.T.O.M., C.M.T.
