Based on the Chinese lunar calendar, Chinese New Year 2022 will begin on February 1, 2022, and ends on the day of full moon, 15 days later. It is traditionally a time to bring the family together, sharing blessings with all loved ones. Home and family togetherness is a significant focus of the Spring Festival celebration. Family is very important in the Chinese culture.
Chinese New Year Celebrations by SSSIO
Sri Sathya Sai Baba had often urged members of the Sri Sathya Sai International Organisation (SSSIO) to go back to their respective culture, traditions, and religions, and discover and practise the values contained therein.
The first Chinese New Year was celebrated in Prasanthi Nilayam in 1997 in the divine presence and is being celebrated annually by the SSSIO since then.
The emphasis of the CNY celebration has been on promoting the core values in Chinese culture and traditions, especially filial piety, i.e. love and respect for parents. Sri Sathya Sai Baba had stressed the importance of love and respect for parents and urged office bearers in the Sai organisation to promote this value.
Theme of Chinese New Year 2022
The theme of CNY for this year is ‘Appreciating Chinese Culture’. The aim of this online event is to provide a glimpse, a small window into the rich Chinese culture around the world which has a history of about 5,000 years.
Year of The Tiger
2022 is the year of the Tiger, starting from February 1, 2022, and ending on January 21, 2023, also called a Water Tiger year.
The Tiger is known as the king of all beasts in China. The zodiac sign of Tiger is a symbol of strength, bravery and overcoming evil. Many Chinese kids wear hats or shoes with a tiger image for good luck.
The Tiger ranks third among the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. The 12 zodiac animals are, in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each year is related to the sign of an animal according to a 12-year cycle.
Significance Of Chinese Zodiac
The first pair of animals in the Chinese Zodiac is the Rat and the Ox. The Rat represents wisdom and the Ox represents diligence. Wisdom and diligence must operate in harmony. If there is wisdom but no diligence in applying it, it’s foolishness. On the other hand, if there is diligence but no wisdom, it’s an act of folly. That is why wisdom and diligence must go hand in hand..
The second pair is the Tiger and the Rabbit. The tiger represents courage and strength while the rabbit represents caution. These two qualities must go together to have a better chance to achieve success. Without being careful, courage becomes recklessness and without courage, caution becomes cowardice.
The third pair is the Dragon and the Snake. They represent strength and flexibility. Strength without flexibility becomes brittle. Without strength, flexibility becomes meaningless.
The next pair is the Horse and the Goat. The horse represents the ability to gallop to success. The goat represents the ability to have compassion. A person must know how to pursue success while being compassionate at the same time, even to his rivals.
The next pair is the Monkey and the Chicken. The monkey represents agility and creativity. The chicken represents stability. To succeed in a venture, we need a stable system as well as creativity and innovation.
Lastly, we have the Dog and the Pig. The dog represents loyalty while the pig represents good nature. If a person is loyal but does not have a good nature, he will be blindly following others. If he has a good nature but is not loyal, he will have no principles to guide him. That’s why good nature must go hand in hand with loyalty.
The Chinese believe that we must have a pure heart and adhere to high moral principles. We must live up to our words and not do anything that will harm others. We need to live with integrity and in harmony with others and the environment. That is the formula to happiness and success in life.