{"id":5764,"date":"2017-01-27T04:00:38","date_gmt":"2017-01-27T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/?p=5764"},"modified":"2017-01-26T17:19:34","modified_gmt":"2017-01-27T01:19:34","slug":"2017-the-year-of-the-rooster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/china\/2017-the-year-of-the-rooster\/","title":{"rendered":"2017, the Year of the Rooster."},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>The Year of the Monkey<\/a> is drawing to a close. On January 28, we’ll enter the Year of the Rooster, sometimes called the Year of the Cock. (Funny, they never call it the Year of the Hen.)<\/p>\n

As the previous year was ending, I heard lots of complaints about 2016. \u201cWorst year ever.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll be glad when it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/em> Likewise some of my friends have been expressing fears about what will happen in 2017. And, Heaven knows, we have legitimate reason for fear and complaint.<\/p>\n

But tomorrow, as we pass beyond the sway of the mischievous monkey and into the Year of the Rooster, let me just say a word about the delights and tribulations of every year and also a word or two in support of monkey years and rooster years.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m partial to both of those years. Our oldest daughter was born in 1968, a monkey year, and our second daughter was born in 1969, a rooster year. For our family, those were very good years.<\/p>\n

They weren\u2019t good for everyone, though.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While my husband and I were celebrating our firstborn, North Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive, American soldiers took part in the My Lai massacre, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, and Richard Nixon was elected president. A very bad year.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, 1968\u2019s Year of the Monkey also ushered in Boeing\u2019s 747 Jumbo jet; Apollo 8 orbited the moon; and President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Eighteen months later, during the Year of the Chicken, my husband and I celebrated the birth of our second daughter.<\/p>\n

It was 1969, another good year for us. But the Vietnam War was still dragging on, anti-war demonstrations were spreading, and Charles Manson and his family of girls were committing grisly murders.<\/p>\n

On the positive side of the ledger, in 1969, a man walked on the moon for the first time.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what will 2017 have in store for us? Chinese astrologers have many predictions for the Year of the Fire Rooster. Here\u2019s<\/a> one of them:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We need to brace ourselves for a period of immense changes. Fire destroys Metal, and this destructive relationship means challenges double during the year. Yet, the Fire Rooster shines like a bright star in the dark sky, bringing hope and transformation to those who know how to act harmoniously around prevailing circumstances.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I like the predictions of hope, transformation, and acting harmoniously. Predictions aside, though, there is one thing we can be sure of: The Year of the Rooster will be a mixture of both good and bad.<\/p>\n

May it be a good one for you and for those you love. Happy Chinese New Year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0The Year of the Monkey is drawing to a close. On January 28, we’ll enter the Year of the Rooster, sometimes called the Year of the Cock. (Funny, they never call it the Year of the Hen.) As the previous year was ending, I heard lots of complaints about 2016. \u201cWorst year ever.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13,680,155,240,755],"tags":[276,45,261,1466,1467,1468,1464,1465],"class_list":["post-5764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-china","category-chinese-new-year","category-family","category-fortune-tellers","category-holidays","tag-chinese-astrologers","tag-chinese-brush-painting","tag-chinese-new-year","tag-events-of-1968","tag-events-of-1969","tag-predictions-for-2017","tag-year-of-the-monkey","tag-year-of-the-rooster"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Kn1e-1uY","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10502,"url":"https:\/\/nickichenwrites.com\/wordpress\/china\/eleven-animals-and-a-dragon-why-a-dragon\/","url_meta":{"origin":5764,"position":0},"title":"Eleven Animals and a Dragon. 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