It’s a truth universally acknowledged by Chinese mums that you wear red in the lunar new year. As I’m writing this, however, it is May. Three months after the actual new year.
Somehow, I am still wearing red.
I’m not a huge fan of red in my wardrobe, either. Truth be told, I only have two or three red tops and jackets. But red is considered one of the luckiest colours in Chinese culture. And this year, I’ve been told I would need all the luck I can get. This is because the Year of the Tiger is my ‘zodiac year’.
I was born in the Year of the Tiger 36 years ago. According to Chinese Astrology, every year is managed by a God of Age (Tai Sui). And if you were born under the same sign as the Tai Sui of that year (this happens once every 12 years), you are more likely to court trouble, thanks to the star of misfortune (Xiōng xīng).
In their zodiac year, some people offer sacrifices to the God of Age to get rid of bad luck and up their blessings. Others wear jade or gold accessories, make Fengshui changes or make offerings to Tai Sui.
Personally, wearing something red seems like the cheapest and most straightforward thing to do.
“Red goes with everything!” I could almost hear Mum say.
The idea of red being a lucky colour comes from the legend of – a beast who allegedly wreaked havoc and feasted on human flesh on New Year’s Day. Then one night, people noticed that Nian was spooked by a child dressed in red. Since then, they have been using the colour red to keep misfortune away.
Interestingly, since Chinese zodiac cycles come every 12 years, a person’s zodiac years also tend to coincide with puberty, young adulthood and adulthood.
Happily wearing red. Source: Supplied
When I was 12, I ignored Mum and Grandma’s advice to wear red. Like most teens, I thought it was superstition. That year, I did terribly for the first term at school and went from being in the popular group (their loss!) to being bullied. After that, I decided to wear red for the rest of the year.
On my 24th birthday, my second zodiac year, things took a worse turn. I couldn’t get a proper job after university and had a hard time applying for a permanent visa in Australia. I was poor, jobless and – you guessed it – not wearing red.
Nothing went my way until my Taiwanese landlord and my mum persuaded me to do something about the lack of red in my wardrobe. I started wearing a red top to job interviews. After a few attempts, I got my first full-time job in a respectable company. A few weeks after that, my visa issue was resolved.
Truthfully, it might be nothing more than coincidence. Or the way things tend to come together once you feel like you are ‘doing something’ about a bad situation.
As for the ‘bad luck’ itself? At the age of 12, I was starting high school – a time when exams got harder, and teenage friends got meaner. At 24, it wasn’t unusual to have a hard time on the job market as a fresh graduate, and a visa was always going to be hard to get, since immigration rules changed constantly.
Now, in my third zodiac tear, at the age of 36, wearing red isn’t just about bringing luck. Though my husband thoughtfully asked if I wanted to up the red component of my wardrobe, I was quite happy with my meagre selection.
If nothing else, I have become better at overcoming anxiety and managing unforeseen changes compared with my previous zodiac years. I am grounded by the things I like to do – like parenting and writing. This year, wearing red has become a feel-good tradition to follow. I will probably tell my daughter the same thing in her first zodiac year.
