The Year of the Pig: Abundance and Optimism
The year of the Pig or Boar is acknowledged as one of prosperity and joy. During this year, the Pig's noble attributes of kindness and compelling positivity rub off on the whole of the earth. The Boar is the last of the 12 animals that make up the Chinese zodiac. It is a time of peace and plenty and so much more!
As a zodiac symbol, the Pig or Boar offers the following positive qualities:
Idealism
Faith
Gallantry
Charity
Goodwill
Forgiveness
Selflessness
Devotion
Honesty
Liveliness
Good Humor
Overflowing energy
Those born under the reign of the Pig may have some or all of the following soft spots, such as being:
Excessive
Too self-sacrificing
Willing to carry more than one can bear
Impulsive
Gullible
Addicted to pleasure
Easily duped
The year of the Pig is also in sync with the following auspicious objects and aspects:
The colors yellow, gray, gold and brown
The North, Southeast and Northeastern directions
The Water element
The numbers 2, 5 and 8
The hydrangea and daisy flowers and the pitcher plant
The
ancient Chinese born in the year of the Pig watched out for the
numbers 3, 1 and 9 and chose not to wear red, blue and green on important
days. They are also said to be most compatible with people born in the
year of the Goat and the Rabbit, and were seldom at ease with those born
in the year of the Snake and the Monkey.
Children
born in the year of the Pig are well-loved for being happy, lively and
helpful, not to mention that they are living lucky charms for richness
and protection! They also equal the Ox children in terms of vigor,
loyalty and patience.
For the Chinese, the pig is an unbeatable symbol of abundance, peace and propriety. By displaying an image or figurine of a pig, the Chinese are certain to invite wealth and good energy into their home. The Pig is also a symbol of contentment, protection from negative vibes, as well as virility.
According to legend, there was a tribe whose leader had a pig's head. These were the Kitan, who are Manchurians that came to conquer vast Northern China territories from 916 to around 1122.
The Chinese deity Xuan-tan is an immortal that prohibits his followers to kill pigs, even for sacrifice rituals and holy offerings. In ancient times, Xuan-tan's devotees were also forbidden to eat pigs.
Chu Pa-Chieh is another Chinese god who was half-man, half-pig. Nope, he wasn't born that way. Chu Pa-Chieh was punished for some naughtiness he committed while on exile on earth by the Jade Emperor Yu Huang.
The Jade Emperor is a very powerful, if not the most famous, god in the Chinese pantheon as he is the official ruler of heaven and all the other worlds of existence.
A god assigned to the protection of pigs was Zhu Zhi Zhen, while the immortal Zhu Juan Zhen was the deity in charge of pigsties.
I hope you found this zodiac page helpful and interesting. Please check out my other Chinese zodiac symbols pages soon. I'm still writing most of them and I hope you bear with me in populating my new website with relevant content. It really takes a lot of time to write just one page:-) sigh!
Want to switch pages? Go back from Year of the Pig to the main Chinese Zodiac Page.
Year of the Goat or RamReturn to the Symbolisms home page here to see more fascinating symbols and meanings.
*Many thanks to artists Ye Liu and Jian Feng of inkdancechinesepaintings.com for their captivating, original paintings on this page.
