Double celebration: Day of hearts and the Tiger

MANILA, Philippines - Two commodities most in demand today are roses and tikoy, this being Valentine’s Day as well as the lunar or, more commonly, Chinese New Year.

While the former is largely a commercial holiday, the latter is a festivity steeped in tradition and folklore. The Lunar New Year is celebrated throughout Asia, but it is most closely associated with the Chinese, who also refer to this auspicious day as the Spring Festival (xin qun or, literally, new spring).

Over 4,000 years ago, in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC to 771 BC), the Chinese were already celebrating the Spring Festival. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD), Sima Qian invented the Tai Cu calendar, which set New Year's Day on the first day of the first month of the lunar year. Tai Cu is a period during the reign of Emperor Wu Di.

Legend has it that in ancient times, the evil Nian plundered and tyrannized the people each winter. To drive Nian away, the people burned bamboo stalks, and the flames and crackling sounds scared the evil spirit. This could be considered the first firecrackers, a tradition that is still carried out today.

The ancient Chinese believe that “a whole year's work depends on a good start in spring.” Thus, families prepare for the start of the year by cleaning house and preparing more than enough food on the eve of the New Year, to ensure that there will good fortune and plenty in the coming year.

The focus of the Spring Festival is the family. This is a time for families to gather together, and those who may have left the family home for study or work make it a point to come back, causing massive congestion at plane, train and other transport stations. It is important for family members to all gather around the hearth – or, in modern times, the dinner table – on New Year's Eve and share a sumptuous meal together.

Sweet cakes – the literal translation of tikoy – made of glutinous or sticky rice flour are an indispensable part of the meal, to symbolize the closeness, or sticking together, of the family.

These days, with the increased popularity of feng shui or the practice of geomancy, much is made of the Chinese zodiac. This is the Year of the Metal Tiger, a sign that is regarded with some trepidation, as the year is thought to take on characteristics of the animal and will thus be a tempestuous and even ferocious year.  

The Year of the Tiger is seen as a “period of change characterized by intense activity, dramatic developments and political conflicts.” This seems to be particularly appropriate for the Philippines, since we are having a most important election in May which will not only give our country a new set of leaders, but will also be the first time the electoral process will be automated.