The sneaky Year of the snake

2013 could be a year of doom and gloom or pleasure and prosperity – take your pick, writes

FARZANA SHAKIR

Chinese New Year was on February 10 this year.

Our Sydney community marked the arrival of the Year of the Black Water Snake with much pomp and aplomb. Red was the prevalent colour with people wearing it to ward off bad luck and decorating their houses and businesses in crimson hues. Even the sails of the iconic Sydney Opera House turned red to mark the start of the New Year and to recognise the contribution of Chinese Australians to New South Wales. Sydney Airport joined forces with the City of Sydney with decorations throughout the terminal and a traditional lion dance to greet passengers at the international terminal forecourt. An exhibition of the contemporary Asian Australian artists aptly titled ‘Snake Snake Snake’ is on until February 23 at the Sydney Town Hall along with many other activities like the Chinese New Year Twilight Parade on February 17, the Lunar Feasts, Chinese New Year Markets, Dragon Ball and Dragon Boat Races. With so many festivities planned, the local community is determined to make the long celebration a memorable occasion, albeit with a hint of trepidation. The Year of the Snake is not considered particularly auspicious in Chinese beliefs. The zodiac calendar of the Chinese is depicted by 12 animals, of these the snake is the sixth. It follows the year of the Dragon and recurs every twelve years. So in the last century, 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989 and 2001 were all snake years. The twelve animals of the calendar are each associated with one of the five natural elements of metal, fire, wood, earth and water. In keeping with the yin and yang, each year is associated with one of the five elements in rotation, and any given combination recurs only every 60 years. The fixed element of snake is fire, while 2013 is a water year which makes it a volatile combination. This is why Asian prognosticators are predicting a venomous year full of disasters and misfortune.

Characteristically, people born under the snake sign are said to be mysterious, intuitive, collected, graceful and refined. Some famous people born in the year of the snake include Oprah Winfrey, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Darwin, Bob Dylan, Vivienne Westwood and Sarah Jessica Parker. Ancient Chinese wisdom suggests that having a snake in the house is good luck because it means the family will not starve; but at the same time since snakes like to hide in water or in mud and are poisonous, the general consensus is they are harmful to humans. The belief is so deep rooted that many people postpone weddings, having children and other decisions to avoid them falling in the Year of the Snake.

According to astrology the colour of 2013 is black, which is considered unlucky in many cultures. A quick overview of the last few Years of the Snake reveals a string of disasters like the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001, the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 and the Great Depression of 1929.

For 2013, Asian forecasters are predicting a stock market slide, escalated conflicts amongst countries especially China and Japan which may even result in war and further weakening of

m r Eric Bamba Lee

the American economy. The stock market is expected to enjoy a smooth first half before becoming tempestuous in the second half of the year. Despite some encouraging signs, the crisisravaged Euro zone is also not expected to recover just yet. The Euro currency is predicted to lose ground and there is a threat of the union splitting altogether. May is the month of the Snake which is when things are predicted to be very intense and tension will be at its peak. For people born in the last water snake year 60 years ago, 2013 is being cautioned as a dangerous year for health and work-wise. Other Snakes are also being urged to exercise discipline and focus on extra attention to detail in order to survive this year and achieve their required goals.

But all is not doom and gloom;

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Gung Hay Fat Choy!!!

A quick overview of the last few Years of the Snake reveals a string of disasters like the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001, the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 and the Great Depression of 1929

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