Not Just Any Dragon; It’s the Water Dragon
While many people greet Dragon years with a certain ambivalence (“Expect the Year of the Dragon to Be Turbulent”) serious Chinese astrologers are rolling out the welcome mat for this particular Dragon year. That’s because this is the year of the Water Dragon.
Chinese dragons come in four basic elemental types: earth, air, fire and water. And according to the Philippine Star, the arrival of the Water Dragon is cause for additional celebration:
It is for good reason that astrologers have been waiting for the Year of the Water Dragon with much anticipation. This year’s element, Water, is in harmony with the Dragon’s fixed element, Wood, nourishing it and allowing it to bring countless opportunities for growth and expansion. For the past 17 years, the fixed elements of the animal signs have clashed with the years’ elements, thereby bringing destructive consequences. We can now relax and enjoy the benefits of an exciting, fortune-clad year that will bring luck to most of us.
Other predictions includes that this will be a good year to start a business, that astronomers will be thrilled by a major discovery in the Milky Way that will revolutionize our perception of the universe, and that the fields of music, fashion and film will produce cutting edge works that will leave a mark in the arts scene.
But it will still be an up-and-down year. The Year of the Water Dragon will get off to a stormy start, and since yang water is flowing, not stagnant, we should also expect some major natural catastrophes, including earthquakes, extreme flooding and volcanic eruptions.
Best news of all, though, is for rabbits. With the arrival of the dragon, it’s the end of the Year of the Rabbit. Which was not a great year for rabbits. This time last year, people around the world were hurrying to pet stores to buy rabbits, who were, needless to say, later abandoned. A New York Daily News writer comments:
Rabbits are the only pet in America that we also hunt, eat and wear on a regular basis. And this honorary rabbit year led fortune seekers to breed and then abandon or kill more rabbits than ever before.
Rabbits enjoy less protection than other pets.
Even the rabbit-equivalent of the American Kennel Club, the American Rabbit Breeders Association, advocates killing rabbits and helps breeders by providing a list of rabbit meat processors on its website.
Please, bring on the Year of the Dragon.
Here are some more celebratory dragon stamps from around the world:
