The Year of the Tiger
According to the zodiac of East Asia, today is
the beginning of the Year of the Tiger. This year the “Chinese New Year” begins
on February 1, but for a long time now, Japan has celebrated January 1 as New
Year’s Day, while retaining many of the ancient traditions.
This is “my” year, for I was born in the Year
of the Tiger. In East Asia there is a sign for each of twelve years, not twelve
signs in one year as in the West, and each repeat in a twelve-year cycle.
It is fairly easy to guess what year a person
was born in if you know their sign, so in Japan it was not unusual to ask for a
person’s zodiac sign rather than asking how old they were. So, since this is
the year of my zodiac sign, you can probably guess I will turn 84—but if you
guessed 72, that’s all right!
Is Time Circular or Linear?
While not hesitating to celebrate the new
year, whether in the West or in the East, I do have a bit of a problem with
emphasizing a circular way of thinking rather than a linear one.
Years ago, a Japanese friend pointed out that
from Christianity’s linear viewpoint there is no qualitative difference between
January 1 and any other day of the year. The Christian (as well as the Jewish and
Muslim) worldview is based on history rather than nature.
Thus, it is more significant that today is the
beginning of the year 2022 than it is January 1. We are a part of history moving
from the past to the future more than in a cycle of nature as the earth revolves
around the sun.
The latter view is sometimes linked to “the
myth of eternal return” (Eliade), which I see as being at odds with the
Judeo-Christian worldview. For that reason, I have some problem with the
“church year” emphasis, which to some extent is based on the concept of
circularity rather than linearity.
To remember the momentous events in the life
of Christ each year is good, of course. But do we really need to wait all
during Advent to celebrate the coming of Christ if we know he was born over
2,000 years ago?
And do we need to be sorrowful all through
Lent if we know that Jesus has already been resurrected and we are living in
the joy of new life?
Forward Like a Tiger
According to one website, “People who were born in a Tiger year share personality traits
with tigers. They are most active and full of valor and vigor. They usually act
decisively but cautiously. In the face of setbacks, resistance, or failure,
they make prompt decisions.”
Further, “Male tigers are energetic and
ambitious. They are also very aggressive and dominating. They like to challenge
themselves . . . to achieve all the goals they set. They keep their promises
and do what they have promised.”
Well, I can’t deny that I recognize myself in those
descriptions—although as I approach my 84th birthday this year, I
certainly don’t have the vigor or energy that I had most of my life.
Whether you were born in the Year of the Tiger
or not, I pray that as we all move forward through the New Year like a tiger
and be blessed with health and happiness.
And may we find strength for the journey and
joy in the struggle for peace and justice in each of the days in 2022.
_____
** My Jan.
1, 2010, post was titled “Year of the Tiger,” so that is why “(again)” is
in the title of this article. This post is similar to (but not the same) as
that article posted 12 years ago. And in spite of some of the negative comments
received then, I am repeating the questioned ideas.
