Greetings Friends!
We'd like to warmly welcome you to join us for 2023 and look forward to bringing our usual schedule alongside a new set of events, the details of which will arrive in the coming Newsletters.
If you have not done so already, now is the time for you to renew your Membership for the year. This can be done, with full instruction on our webpage here - Membership Page
It is important to renew at this time and no later than the first Lecture of the year on the 18th of February.
Gather closely around...
In accordance with an ancient tradition from China, we would like to begin this Lunar New Year with a legend...
In ancient times, there was a monster named Nián (年), that was said to have a fearsome appearance along with an insatiable bloodlust... It usually lives at the bottom of the sea but comes up once a year to wreak havoc, feasting on crops, animals and humans. On this day, the villagers would all flee and escape into the mountains.
One year, a beggar came to seek shelter, but everyone was hurrying away. Only an old woman took him in and he promised to her to chase Nián away. He then curiously went about busying himself with decorating the homes.
At midnight, Nián lumbered in but stopped short when it saw the red paper on the doors. As it roared in anger, firecrackers suddenly sounded and it trembled in fear. When it saw the beggar, dressed in red, laughing at it in defiance, it could only turn and flee.
The next day the villagers arrived back from the mountains and were pleasantly surprised that their homes were all still standing. They soon came to realise that loud noises and the colour red were the cause for Nián's panic.
It is said that the beggar went further and eventually captured Nián, which then became his mount.
After Nián was captured, everyone had a grand celebration and the ritual involved in banishing him was repeated the following year, and so the ritual was passed down from generation to generation and the custom of celebrating New Year with firecrackers, noise, and the colour red has persisted to this day.
Many versions of this legend exist, with myriad interpretations but we'd like to know, what does it say to you? Perhaps you could leave your comments or interpretations in the box below, we're interested to hear!
In accordance with the Chinese Zodiac, we welcome in the Year of the Rabbit, specifically the Black Water Rabbit for 2023, the energy of which promises to restore peace and harmony whilst showering the world with a myriad of opportunities.
Perhaps parallels can be drawn as we draw to a close the passing tumult of the ‘Year of the Tiger’ (the character of which can take on anything, bringing courage, a strong moral code and responsiveness) whereas during this ‘Year of the Rabbit’, we can anticipate increased diplomacy and a more cautious approach to life, on the world stage and for individuals alike.
