It's the year of the Pig, and they said in early Feb it would be bad for a lot of things.
From 14 Feb>
The world can expect a roller-coaster ride of conflict and unrest, natural disasters and a plunge in global stock markets once the Year of the Pig begins, Chinese soothsayers say.
As the world farewells the Year of the Dog on Sunday, believers in Chinese superstitions have been busy consulting fortune tellers, feng shui geomancers and a wealth of new books for the year's fortunes.
Chinese fortunes are based on a belief that events are dictated by the different balances in the elements that make up the earth -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.
Feng shui expert Raymond Lo said that according to ancient Chinese belief, the Year of the Pig is symbolised by two elements -- fire sitting on top of water.
"Fire sitting on water is a symbol of conflict and skirmish, and this may bring a relatively less peaceful year with more international conflicts and struggles," he said.
Lo said the last time such an arrangement appeared was in 2002, the year that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"It is anticipated that there will be more international conflicts and disharmony, which will even lead to regional warfare, uprising and unrest, or the overthrow of governments in certain countries," he said.
The elemental arrangement for 2007, with fire standing on top, could represent openness, optimism and warmth, but it can also bring fire disasters and huge explosions, Lo said.
The Chinese calendar moves in 60-year cycles, meaning the world will experience in the new year events similar to those that took place in 1947.
In that turbulent year, the Cold War began in earnest when then US president Truman declared his anti-communist doctrine and the Soviet Union rejected a US plan for atomic weapons control, sparking the nuclear arms race.
That year saw the same elemental arrangement with yin fire dominant in the Year of the Pig.
"So it will not be surprising that there will be more gun battles, murder with guns, bombing attacks in the year 2007," Lo added.
The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and associates each of the 12 years forming a partial cycle with an animal. The pig is the last in the zodiac sequence that begins with the rat, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster and dog.
Fortune-tellers base their predictions on the relationship between the zodiac animals and the characteristics of each animal year.
They also take into account the changing balance over the years in the five spiritual elements that Chinese philosophy believes form the core of the universe -- gold, wood, water, fire and earth.
Feng shui expert Lee Sing-tong predicts serious conflict in the Middle East this coming year.
"Religious wars will turn intense. There will be large-scale warfare or explosions," said Lee, a third-generation feng shui master.
He also expects serious diplomatic conflicts in the East, for instance between China and Japan, and says the problem will be most acute until May 5.
Fortune teller Alion Yeo, who predicted nuclear testing in North Korea last year, said there is a chance that the power of Pyongyang's leader, Kim Jong-il, will weaken.
"This will most likely happen between June and July. I can see their leader is in bad luck during the period. This means something will be changed: someone might replace him or he might fall ill," Yeo said. |
