My dad was born in 1952, the Year of the Dragon. He is an immigrant from Taiwan who came to the US for graduate studies at San Jose State University and worked as an engineer until his retirement.
In a way, he's the reason I never took Chinese horoscopes that seriously. The other members of my family have signs with character traits that seem to fit them. Sure, she's loyal and honest as a Dog, and yes, he's smart and charming as a Rat.
But my dad is very introverted and soft-spoken. He is always smiling; The only time I remember him getting mad at me was when my brother and I were jumping on the bed when we were kids and didn't want to go to sleep.
With my limited understanding of zodiac animals and their characteristics, I was thinking, “Is it this The ferocious fire-breathing dragon?
The upcoming Lunar New Year brings with it the Year of the Dragon, fifth in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle. Dragons were born in the years 2024, 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, etc., but after the Lunar New Year, which this year falls on February 10.
(Yunyi Dai / For The Times)
Since 2022, I have consulted annually with Laura Lau, co-author of “The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes,” before the Lunar New Year about what we should expect.
Lau's late mother, Theodora, wrote the first edition of the horoscope guide in 1979. At that time, she had been giving informal consultations in Hong Kong and realized that none of the horoscope books in English had been written by authors of Chinese descent. So she wrote her own.
When Lau talks about horoscopes, she frequently mentions her mother, who viewed Chinese horoscopes less as a crystal ball predicting the future and more as an entry point to understanding people who are different from you. The idea is that if you take the time to consider where people are coming from, you will be able to make more thoughtful decisions for yourself.
According to superstition, each year it takes on the traits of that year's animal. The tiger, in 2022, brought passion and rebellion. The rabbit in 2023 was supposed to bring us some peace.
And what about the dragon?
The dragon is the only animal in the Chinese zodiac that is a mythical creature. In Chinese culture, dragons symbolize good luck, strength and power. They control the climate and water. (Also, they don't breathe fire. They breathe clouds.)
Those who believe in superstitions go so far as to try to have babies in the Year of the Dragon because they believe dragons are destined for greatness and good fortune.
The characteristics of the dragon, according to Lau, include creativity, power and charisma. They have confidence, that's why they have ego. They are also energetic and impulsive by nature.
What does this mean for next year?
First it is important to understand that we come from the Year of the Rabbit, which is the diplomat and the peacemaker.
“The rabbit is about making things pretty,” Lau told The Times last year. “That doesn't mean the year of the rabbit doesn't have drama behind it, but it's like, 'Let's be polite.' Let's keep the label. Let's move on. Let's have more productivity.'”
Some people like calm. Others find rabbits frustrating. “Often you don't know what's going on… so you still end up feeling bad,” Lau said.
You know where you stand with a dragon. They are an open book. They are fast. They're not going to prolong anything for long.
Dragons, on the other hand, are very simple and clear. “You know where you stand with a dragon,” Lau said. They are an open book. They are fast. They're not going to prolong anything for long.
Each year also has an element, and this year it is the wooden dragon. The wood tempers the dragon and makes it more introspective, Lau said. Wood is also associated with morality and ethics, and the dragon is an animal that likes to have a sense of purpose and duty.
Lau added that people tend to respect dragons. But they can be individualistic, so sometimes those who are more community-minded will take on the dragon.
It's an election year. What could the Year of the Dragon contribute in that sense?
The fact that the Year of the Wood Dragon of 2024 is also an election year is very fascinating to Lau, because dragons are competitive. If they win, they want it to be a decisive victory. If they lose, they are resilient, so they will keep going.
One more fact about Chinese horoscopes: each animal has its animal enemies, those directly in front of it on the zodiac wheel, along with its animal friends, a trio made up of animals four spaces away in any direction that forms an affinity triangle. .
(Yunyi Dai / For The Times)
This year, the goat will have an especially hard time with the dragon, compared to the dragon's friends, the monkey and the rat.
Lau said her mother liked to watch each country's independence day to analyze the country's animals. America (born 1776) is a monkey. His mother always said that the United States is like a monkey: We are very creative, we like to do things our way and we are innovative.
Lau hopes that because the United States, as a monkey, supports the Year of the Dragon, the elections will go smoothly and there will be a clear and decisive result.
What signs should we pay attention to?
Whatever year it will be, we will know very quickly, he said. One of the superstitions linked to those born in the Year of the Dragon is that the weather on the day of their birth, whether stormy or calm, impacts the type of life that person will lead.
Lau will pay close attention to the weather on February 10. Having bad weather that day doesn't mean we'll have a bad year, she said. But the year could be a little more unpredictable.
I asked my father about Lau's analysis and asked him if he believed any of it. He shrugged. He believes his generation of Taiwanese American immigrants, who received a Western education and have now lived in the United States most of their lives, are less likely to believe in Eastern mythology.
But it turns out that my late grandfather, a small business owner in Taichung, Taiwan who sold mushroom seeds in jars and bags, was also a Dragon. He was born in 1928.
My grandfather believed in feng shui and divination, and had my father read to him when he was born. My father found the prediction in a notebook while he was browsing his father's bookshelf when he was a young adult.
“If I had an iPhone back then, I would have taken a picture of it,” my father said. “But now I only remember one line: 不富而貴 bù fù ér guì.” That means “not rich but noble.”
Nobility is another characteristic of a dragon.
He laughs. “I mean, I'm an engineer, so I'm not as 'noble' as a king. But I'ts not bad”.
