A fond farewell: The Legend of the Fire Horse on Lunar New Year | Mary Chao
Throughout my life, our family's Chinese friends have made knowing gestures when asked about my animal sign. Born in 1966, I am a horse. But I'm not just any type of horse. I'm a Fire Horse, revered for being headstrong, rebellious and just plain bad news.
Each of the 12 animal signs in the Chinese zodiac is tempered by one of the five elements such as water, wood, fire, earth and metal. People born under the horse sign are said to be self-reliant, quick-witted, adventurous and impatient. The fire element is supposed to magnify the horse traits, good and bad. Think of the analogies we apply to horses every day — we call each other workhorses or fast horses — and then multiply those assumptions by considering all the metaphors that symbolize fire.
And so, in some conversations, Chinese friends will say of me that "she is a Fire Horse." That's a polite way of explaining why I may not back down from an argument.
Taking the zodiac seriously
My own family is not superstitious and I take astrology readings with a grain of salt. But many East Asians take astrology very seriously. It is their religion. We all read and see stories about Asian families trying to conceive during the year of the dragon every 12 years. The Fire Horse is the opposite of that. Asian families avoid having children once every 60 years for fear of having a Fire Horse girl. It's OK for a boy to be quarrelsome. But in a society that values harmony, troublemaker girls with strong personalities are just not socially acceptable.
The last time the notorious Fire Horse rolled around was in 1966. According to the Japanese census, the birth rate dropped that year by more than 20%. I've read stories about the group of Fire Horse women born in Japan in 1906 living out lives as spinsters, as the legend of Fire Horse women dates back to 1682. That's when a tumultuous female Fire Horse almost burned down the city of Edo. It's hard to say what happened in mainland China in 1966 as it was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, purging old ideas and closed to western doors. I was born in Taiwan that year, where the Chinese Nationalists retreated after the civil war.
Even as the Chinese Communist Party purged "old ideas" during the Cultural Revolution, traditions remained, recalled Lynn Hu, an Edison, New Jersey resident who immigrated from China's Jiangsu province. Chinese enjoy talking about personality traits of their animal sign, said Hu, who is a snake. People born in the year of the snake are said to be calm and rational, which describes the Chinese language teacher. Her son, Robert ,was born in the year of the rabbit, said to be kind and intelligent. Hu said those descriptions fit her son perfectly.
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Much of Chinese culture is based on Taoism, said Lan Jiang, an instructor at St Peter's University in Jersey City who lives in Woodbury, New York.
"Everything that exists in the world has a spirit," Jiang said in describing Chinese culture.
Ancestor worship is an element of Taoism that continues to this day, said Jiang, an immigrant from Guilin, China. During the Lunar New Year season, paper money is burned at the shrine of ancestors to ensure their spirits have a prosperous afterlife.
Jiang was born in the year of the goat, said to be amicable and kindhearted. It is impolite to ask a person's age in China, so people will ask what year a person was born.
Often, life events will be determined by the birth year, such as matching a marriageable mate. For my year, horses are said to be most compatible with tigers. But rat should be avoided — both horses and rats are hotheaded.
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Lack of fear
As my friend, Heidi Hu Ames, tried to explain to me about animal signs and compatibility: "Have you ever met someone you really disliked? Check that person's sign."
I don't know if being a Fire Horse had anything to do with my fearlessness when it comes to speaking out against injustices. Back in my youth, when my grandma in Taiwan would allow only my brother into her room and lavished him with gifts because he was a boy, I shouted to her, "I'll remember you for this." Anyone who understands Chinese family hierarchy knows that speaking out against an elder is a mortal sin. As a woman, I was expected to accept my fate.
Naturally, my father worried about who would marry me with my penchant for speaking my mind. Fortunately for this Fire Horse, our family emigrated to the U.S. where individualism is embraced and celebrated. Not only was I able to find a husband who puts up with my stubbornness, I embarked on a career path on which I have been able to question authority. Interestingly enough, being a journalist is one of the careers recommended for people who are born under the horse sign. The Fire Horse girl is even featured in western arts such the 2005 Canadian film "Eve and the Fire Horse" and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's novel "The Legend of the Fire Horse Woman."
On Jan. 22, East Asians around the world will ring in year of the Water Rabbit. They are said to be precise, quiet, calm, and sometimes aloof. In three years, the dreaded Fire Horse will rear its head. Let's hope that pragmatism prevails over superstition and girls born in 2026 in East Asian countries are welcomed for their intellect and independence.
A fond farewell
This column first appeared in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle in 2013, where I worked for more than 21 years. It's updated with New Jersey voices with their Lunar New Year traditions. After 25 years as a newspaper writer, this is my very last column. Sharing stories of the Rochester and North Jersey communities has been the honor and privilege of my life. Onward for this Fire Horse!
Mary Chao covers Asian American issues and real estate.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 2023 Lunar New Year: The Legend of the Fire Horse
