GOING down Lacson Street and the area around Gatuslao, we see lanterns adorning the skies. It is a festive mood because we are celebrating Chinese New Year.
According to the Chinese calendar, 2016 is the 4713th Chinese Year. It is the “Year of the Red Monkey” which technically is on February 8, 2016.
Chinese New Year is known as the Spring Festival also the Lantern Festival that’s why we see all the lanterns. Considering that it has been celebrated for close to 5,000 years, the festival is governed by myths and traditions. Traditionally, it was to honor deities and ancestors.
In countries that have a predominantly Chinese population like mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, and even the Philippines, Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday. February 8 is usually declared a public holiday.
Customs and traditions vary according to place, however, what is common is that on the day of the Chinese New Year, Chinese families gather for the annual reunion dinner. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck.
Windows and doors will be decorated with red color paper and couplets with popular themes of “good fortune” or “happiness,” “wealth,” and “longevity.” Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes called ampaos.
The Chinese apply Five Elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth) into the Chinese calendar. The color of fire is connected to red so 2016 is the Red Fire Monkey year which looks like a very interesting year because of the elements. It will be a volatile but a vibrant year as well!
According to Chinese Five Elements Horoscopes, monkey contains metal and water. Metal is connected to gold. Water is connected to wisdom and danger. Therefore, we will deal with more financial events in the Year of the Monkey.
The monkey is a smart, naughty, wily and vigilant animal. If you want to have good return for your money investment, then you need to outsmart the monkey. Metal is also connected to the wind. That implies the status of events will be changing very quickly. Think twice before you leap when making changes for your finance, career, business relationship and people relationship.
The Fire Monkey is powerful and sacred. The monkey in the Eastern tradition is known as an experimenter, a universal creative impulse, characterized by constant movement from point A to point B. The distance does not matter it is the effort put forth, or the means to move.
The monkey suggests that the most important value acquired in this process of movement is experience. It is the experience, not the result, that the monkey values most. Because the life of the monkey (an image of a highly developed being) is not simple, but logical, because the greater the power, the higher the level of understanding and the greater the responsibility. That is why the monkey points us to complex progress, combining physical, spiritual, emotional, and esoteric progress.
Fire will be the dominant element throughout 2016. Fire is dynamic, fire is impulsive and frantic. It will have periods of intense activity interspersed with periods of absolute rest. Bursts can physical or emotional followed by a period in which fire accumulates it forces.
When fire rests, it is a not period of stagnation. That period allows the inner silence to organize thoughts, analyze the past, and plan the future. In other words, the element of fire teaches us adaptability; it is the apotheosis of human flexibility, and a careful balance between action and reflection. This is the intelligence that is determined by feelings, and at the same time, emotions that the mind controls.
Together, the element of fire and the image of the monkey suggest a temporary stage where there is a high level of ambiguity and inconsistency for most. What is important is to be aware of which will help you achieve the desired results. The main thing is to remember that the monkey does not recognize the principle of laziness. Rest and relaxation, according to the monkey, are required only when necessary!
When your resources are drained, when you yourself are exhausted, that is when relaxation is needed and it ultimately helps you to move forward. For the lazy, sedentary, and one with no aspirations, then 2016 will be a living hell. It is difficult to say which option would be better – to try to change yourself or dig yourself deeper and burrow in and wait until the storm passes. In reality, this question cannot have two identical answers, which is logical because we are all individuals and the monkey will direct each of us towards this thought.
The image of the Fire Monkey tends to be the basis of factual and objective perception, which means you need to filter your emotions. You can’t act on your emotion; instead you can turn to your emotions. You need your mind to control your emotions, not the other way around.
The element of fire, in turn, suggests that even family relationships that have existed for years can be passionate, bright, and romantic. A lot depends on our attitudes and stereotypes, and from the inertia of our thinking. This also applies to professional growth.
The Fire Monkey will intrude in all spheres of our lives. The monkey is like the trickster. It is not necessary to confront all the circumstances that are before you. You can make things go your way and if they don’t, it means that you didn’t try hard enough.
The Monkey is the 9th animal in 12 zodiac signs. The monkey is a clever animal. It is usually compared to a smart person. Number “9” is associated with ambition, activity, smartness, mischief and adventure. People born in the Years of the Monkey include 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016. So for the Year of the Monkey… Be clever! We are in for a roller coaster ride! GONG XI FA CHAI.