Horse Year Caution

Welcome back. It’s been 12 years and today’s the day: the beginning of the Chinese lunar calendar’s Year of the Horse. If you’re new to this blog or, worse, if you’ve forgotten, I’m a Horse.
 

Year of the Horse (from ubiwall.com)

I wrote about discovering the Chinese zodiac and how cool the Horse was from a Chinese restaurant placemat (Astrology Time); but then how crestfallen I was when, many years later, I found non-placemat sources weren’t very kind to the Horse.

Anyway, I just assumed that this being my year would be like Hey! This is my year! Guess what. That’s not how it works. I’ll tell you what I learned but there are strings attached. Actually, there’s only one string.

Attached String

If you know my son, Noah, you’ve got to promise not to tell him about this. He never saw the restaurant placemat and probably has no idea that he, too, is a Horse. But even if he is aware, I’m confident that, like me, he neither follows nor checks nor has any interest in eastern, western or any other astrological predictions unless, of course, they arrive in fortune cookies.

Live and learn. I was going to email him, “Congratulations, it’s your year!” and add an overview forecast from the first website I came across. After checking several websites, I decided it would be better if he didn’t know what Horse Year forecasters are predicting for 2014.

Noah won’t see this blog post if you don’t send it to him. When he was in college, he and his friends followed my blog closely. I guess they were bored and my posts were enlightening. Now that they’ve graduated, they’re too busy to be enlightened.

2014 Forecasts

You’ll understand my concern if you see examples of what I found.

Overall: One described 2014 as “challenging” and, if that weren’t enough, warned it will be followed by three bad years. Some characterized the year’s fortune as “fluctuant” or “undulating,” which certainly makes you think.

Health: Horses “may suffer some discomforts,” “insidious diseases” or “struggle because of severe health issues.” One warned, “Chances of accidents run high during the year.” Far from being vague, more than one forecast pointed to “injuries by knives and others sharp items” or driving.

Financial: These forecasts concurred with a fluctuant or undulating year: “Financial fortune will be unstable in 2014.” Horses “might have unexpected expenses.”

Relationships: In a continuing effort to discredit the placemat characterization, forecasts warned of the Horse’s “need to curb their natural intolerance of others in the workplace.” More important, at least for my married son, one warned, “Husband and wife will argue a lot.”

Wrap Up

Considering that my Mandarin is limited to “hello,” “good-bye,” “thank you” and “sorry,” and that I’ve forgotten how to ask, “Where is the restroom?”, I would never criticize the websites’ English. Still, I’ve a feeling that much was lost in translation. Take for instance the health forecast: “You might have heavy tidings in this year with a lot of careful of mass annihilation.”

Oh, I did find a forecast that I wish I’d found when I started: “In Chinese astrology, Horse year is considered a fortunate year that brings luck and good things.” It probably came from the same person who produced the restaurant placemat.

Thanks for stopping by.