2014: The Year of the Wooden Horse

The Lunar New Year on 31 January is an auspicious time. At this time, many will visit temples to ask for protection and good luck for the coming year. From February 1 the Year of the Wooden Horse commences.

On 31 January it is customary to wear red or bright colours, and to talk only of positive things during the whole day. Food is an important part of the day, with Chinese believing that noodles signify longevity, chicken signifies dignity, and duck signifies nobility. People celebrating the Lunar New Year visit family members, presenting oranges to the elderly or same-age relatives and money to the younger members who have no income and are not married. It is considered bad luck to use sharp objects on 31 January, such as scissors and razors for cutting hair and nails and trimming beards.

Clothes have great significance on the day of the New Year. It is believed that the clothes to wear during Lunar New Year celebrations include: (1) bright shiny or satiny colours such as red and gold (red for happiness and gold for wealth) – avoiding black and white; (2) sparkly jewelry to attract prosperity; (3) new clothes or clothes that have not yet been worn to signify a fresh, lucky start to the new year; and (4) particularly for 2014 any clothing or accessories with horse elements, such as horseshoe keyrings, or equine images to signify moving forward. Clothes to avoid during the Lunar New Year include negative symbols and words, such as thorns, skulls, spikes, swords, and weapons, because they signify a gloomy bad luck start to the year.

The stunning red horses (photographed) can be seen in Bangkok, Thailand, at the entrance of the newly renovated and updated Siam Centre.

MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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