In keeping with the celebration of the Chinese New Year on Jan. 28, considered to be the most important festival for the Chinese community in the Philippines, the Mary Immaculate Parish marked the occasion with a Eucharistic celebration led by Parich Priest Fr. Joseph Xinshue Feng.
We incorporated partly Chinese language songs and traditions like the dragon dance, serving sweet foods, It was festive in the hope of attracting prosperity, closer family ties, and peace.
Before the Chinese New Year, most Filipino-Chinese families usually clean their homes thoroughly, prepare lucky money in red envelopes, serve sweet foods, and display eight kinds of food and fruits on a table, which is believed to invite good fortune.
A feng shui expert advises the people to be watchful in the areas of security, finance, and romance in 2017.
Marites Allen says that the Year of the Fire Rooster has a “very fiery (and) agitated” attitude, associated with the metal element. ”Metal would mean guns, so assassinations and killings could happen,” Allen told CNN-The Source. “We have to be very careful, we have to look out for each other.” People have to be watchful in business “because cash flow will be very tight, as recession happened in 1987, there was a repeat in 1997, and in 2007, a cycle of every 10 years. Recall that the stock market crash took place in 1987, while the Asian Financial Crisis took place in 1997, and the Great Recession in 2007.On the bright side, 2017 will be a “peach blossom luck” year, which means it can be favorable for romantic relationships.”
The Chinese zodiac combinations rotate among the 12 animal signs, and the five elements (metal, water, fire, wood, and earth). The last year of the fire rooster was in 1957.
President Rodrigo Duterte was born in the Year of the Rooster. He is also of the fire element.
”Normally, the luck of the country depends on the luck of the sitting President,” said Allen. “If it’s going through a very good period, then naturally, the luck of the country follows through.”
She also noted that Vice President Leni Robredo was born in the Year of the Dragon, and that the rooster and the dragon are “secret friends”.
So those born in a dragon year “should take advantage of 2017”, according to Allen.
However, in the case of President Duterte (rooster) and Vice-President Robredo (dragon), and in terms of affinity, they’re supposed to be a match made in heaven,” Allen explained. “But in terms of my analysis, she’s actually a water person. Water and fire are opposing elements. What puts off the fire is water.”
Good luck to all of us in the Year of the Fire Rooster.
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Author’s email: whelmayap@yahoo.com
