The upcoming Year of the Dragon is also infamously known as the “Year of the Widow,” and there is a lot of talk on mainland social media about how next year will be an unlucky year for marriage.
As the name suggests, there is a superstition that women who marry in the Year of the Widow are more likely to lose their husbands.
year of the widow, or Gua Hu Nian In Chinese, it got its name due to misinformation surrounding its original name. GuanyanThis is a solar term that meant “the beginning of a year without spring” and was very important to the ancient Chinese people as a sign of a blessed year.
Some people associate spring with the energy of the sun. The Chinese translation is Yang, also associated with masculine energy. Therefore, the lack of spring means a lack of masculine energy, justifying the name Year of the Widow.
What is the Year of the Widow?
remarkable Gua Hu Nian In Chinese, the term refers to a lunar year without the beginning of spring, or the first day of the 24 solar terms, also known as the first day of spring. li chun.
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar. That is, it combines the lunar calendar, which is based on lunar cycles of 29 or 30 days, and the solar calendar, which is based on the 365 days it takes for the Earth to orbit the sun.
The 12-month lunar year does not add up to the solar year, but the lunar year requires the addition of seven leap months every 19 years to bring the two measurements into line.
Therefore, depending on the lunar calendar, some years there are two beginnings of spring, or two first days of spring, and some years there are none at all.
Is it bad to tie a knot?
Superstitions believe that people should marry in the “double spring year” and avoid marrying in the widow year, but historical statistics suggest otherwise.
2013, the Year of the Snake, which was also the Year of Widows, had the highest number of marriages since public records became available in 1978.
The fact that 19 years includes seven such years also makes it unrealistic for newlyweds to avoid such years.
For many Chinese couples, the desire to have a baby of a certain zodiac sign takes precedence over the idea of getting married in a certain year.
It is traditionally believed that babies born in the year of the Dragon will be blessed with good luck.
Although the numbers fluctuate, Zhai Zhenwu, a demographer and professor at Renmin University of China, said the desire among Chinese people to have baby dragons could lead to an increase in birth rates over the next year. Ta.
Superstitions also say that it is unlucky to build a new house in the year of the widow, as the absence of the first day of spring is considered bad. feng shui.
It is also believed that this year is unlucky and it is disrespectful to the ancestors to erect gravestones or monuments.
Tips for a happy marriage
Despite the fact that more and more young people are getting married regardless of traditional beliefs, many customs that are considered lucky remain.
Much of this centuries-old folklore revolves around auspicious dates and times, right down to a specific time when an event begins, which determines whether everything goes well or not.
Other tips include placing auspicious decorations in the wedding room, such as red bed sheets, and wearing red string bracelets and jade accessories.