By Alex Berger
This column will be a primer in the whys and wherefores of The Chinese New Year of Black Horse, which is celebrated by many other Asian nationalities. It gallops on the scene Feb. 12. Why, you ask, would the Chinese name this New Year the Black Horse Year? I am glad that you asked that appropriate question.
The answer is quite simple. You see, the Chinese lunar calendar utilizes a stem-branch system to count the days, months and years. There are 10 stems and 12 branches in this system. Stems were named by the Yin-Yang and comprise five elements — metal, water, wood, firs and Earth — each one situated in strict sequential order. Got that? We throw in the 12 branches, with 12 separate animal names, and then you have…uh, hmm…oh my…this is getting complicated.
Let me begin anew. This time without the stems and branches.
The Chinese New Year of 4699, which coincides with the year 2002, is known as the Year of the Black Horse. Now don’t be a wise guy and ask me why. It is precisely 2,697 years older than our calendar, give or take a few Ground Hog Days. That number boggles the mind. It is a greater aggregate of years than even the equivalent of three Strom Thurmond’s lifetimes, with Bob Grant, Mike Wallace, Ed Koch and my Uncle Meyer’s tenures tossed in. That, dear readers, is enormous seniority.
This two-week celebration is the biggest and brightest of all Chinese holidays. Each year in a 12-year cycle is named for one of 12 different animals — namely the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. At the end of 12 years, the animal-name cycle repeats itself. The Chinese say that the animal ruling the year in which you were born will influence your life and who am I to say no?
This year will bring many things to many “Horse” people, those born in 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, l990 and 2002, so Horse people, pay attention:
You will come face-to-face with many troublesome challenges. You will be forced to deal with financial problems (aren’t we all?), and run the risk of creating legal dilemmas for yourselves in matters of love. Your heart will take its share of bruises. You will do yourself a favor if you exercise caution in areas of business as well as relationships, and you are cautioned to think before you open your mouth (I am thankful that Gloria is not a Horse person).
In addition, you tend to be gregarious, wildly unpredictable, the kind who try to get the best deal by playing people off each other (just like my auto salesman). You will be popular, cheerful, quick to compliment others, work very hard, have short tempers, and will be attractive to the opposite sex (Gloria is thankful I am not a Horse person).
You need people, but often you will be ostentatious. Outside forces will be pulling on your reins, but troubles should start to gallop away with the onset of winter. Because of your independent nature, you will refuse to listen to advice. You are, however, a good money manager. All told, your bestowed characteristics are vivacity, stamina, wit, independence, refinement, friendliness, selfishness, volatility, impatience, vanity, and recklessness.
And, most importantly, you should marry a Tiger (people born in 1974 and 1986) or a Dog (those people born in 1970 or 1962). Conversely, you should never marry a person who was born in the Year of the Rat (1972 and 1984), never. never never! If you do, don’t say that I didn’t warn you.
Three famous New York “Horses” are George Steinbrenner and Jimmy Breslin, both born in 1930, and my neighbor, Beryl, who was born in (censored).
Now, let me plunge into an important ritual of the Chinese New Year — the animated Lion Dance. On second thought, it may be better if another Chinese expert describes it.
“Happy Chinese New Year! My name is J. Gee, and I am 18 years old. Soon it will be the first day of the Year of the Horse. Chinese people (and others) all over the world will celebrate with parades, parties, and plenty of good food. It is my favorite time of year because I am a Chinese Lion Dancer!
“Everyone loves the Lion Dance. Firecrackers explode, gongs, cymbals, and drums beat wildly. The giant lion jumps and runs among the people, growling and pawing the air. The Chinese Lion is not really a lion at all. It is a make-believe animal: one part cat, one part dog, and two parts imagination
“Its head is made of papier-mache and bamboo, its colorful body of burlap and silk. It takes two people to make the lion dance. One person is inside the head, using hidden triggers to flap the lion’s ears and move its eyes. The other person is under the body of the lion, jumping around and wiggling the tail.
“To begin the Lion Dance, the drums, cymbals, and gongs play as loudly as possible. This wakes up the lion. The lion is grumpy when it wakes up! It circles around, growling and glaring. Small children scream and run for their mothers and fathers. Older children laugh and tease the lion. Finally, the lion bows to the audience and begins to dance to the music. After all this exercise, the lion is hungry. Someone offers it some lettuce for a snack. The lion takes the lettuce into its mouth, chews it up, and spits the leaves out over the audience. Everyone cheers!
“The Lion Dance has meaning for the Chinese people. The lion comes at the beginning of each new year to scare away bad luck. The music and firecrackers help it by making lots of noise. The lettuce is a symbol for wealth and good luck, which the lion spreads over all the people when it spits out the leaves. To end the dance, the lion bows again and the dancers come out from under the costume to hear the cheers of the people. How I love the Chinese Lion Dance!”
Thank you Mr. Gee for your expertise in this tradition. Moving right along, let me now tell you a little about the Chinese New Year Banquet. Uh, oh! I see a dancing lion dancing toward me.
Look, he’s biting my computer. OK, Lion, I can take the hint. I will end this column. But before I go, Gloria and I want to warmly wish all our friends a Kung-hai-fa-ts’ai (a wish for prosperity), Shin Man Kwai Le (a Happy New Year), and Wallpang (Peace!).
Reach columnist Alex Berger by e-mail at timesledger@aol.com or call at 229-0300, Ext. 140.
