By Xinhua writer Li Huizi
BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Is the "springless" Year of the Tiger putting young Chinese couples off marrying this year? Not really. The generation born in the 1980s don't pay much attention to folk superstition.
An ancient Chinese tradition says it is inappropriate to get married in the 2010 lunar year, as there is no "spring" in it.
Here "spring" refers to "Spring Commences," one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. It usually falls on Feb. 4 or 5.
"Spring Commences", however, fell on Feb. 4 in 2010, came before the Lunar New Year which fell on Feb. 14.
The "Spring Commences" in 2011, the Year of the Rabbit, comes after the start of the new lunar year on Feb. 3.
Xiao Fang, a Chinese folklore expert with the Beijing Normal University, said according to ancient custom, spring means the start of life -- "Springless makes people think of 'no offspring' or no husband," he said.
So this lunar year is called a "Widow Year" in Chinese folklore.
However, 27-year-old Xiao Feng, a bride-to-be, does not worry about the old custom.
"My fiance and I have experienced many ups and downs in our relationship. How can we simply be defeated by such a belief without any scientific proof?" she said.
A native of Nanjing in eastern Jiangsu Province, Xiao Feng came to southern Guangxi region four years ago and fell in love with a doctor and decided to marry him after they went through several hardships.
The tradition says "two springs" in a year is the best year, which means two "Spring Commences" occurring in the same lunar year, and "one spring" is better than "springless."
In order to avoid the "springless" year, many couples rushed to tie the knot in the auspicious Year of the Ox, which ran from Jan. 26, 2009 to Feb. 13, 2010, which had two springs.
Official statistics show that in Jiangsu more than 110,000 couples registered their marriage between Jan. 1 and Feb. 13, the last day of the Year of the Ox. In Nanjing, the provincial capital, the number of new marriages in the period grew 48 percent from 2009.
The next lunar year, the Year of the Rabbit, has one spring. After that, the Year of the Dragon, 2012, has both good and bad omens: although it has two "springs," some people think the world will end that year.
What about 2013? Springless again. The best wedding year for superstitious couples is 2014, the Year of the Horse, which has two springs!
But Xiao Feng's superstitious mother did not want her daughter to wait four years to become a bride, so she gave the nod for the wedding to be held this year.
As it turned out, when they went to a wedding service agency to arrange their wedding ceremony for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, six new couples had already queued ahead of them. None of them cared about the "springless" of the Year of the Tiger.
The agency's manager said many couples chose to tie the knot during the holiday, on average 10 couples per day. Most of the couples were born in the 1980s, with none older than 30.
Xiao Feng's decision to get married was supported by her peers.
"My boyfriend and I decided to get married simply because we wanted to. We don't care about that superstition," she said.
Fang Ming, associate researcher with the Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences, said "springless" lunar years were very common. According to the lunar calendar, every 19 years there are seven "two spring" years and seven "springless" years.
"It is merely a strange combination of lunar and solar calendars, and has no bearing on good or ill luck, let alone marriage happiness," he said.
Prof. Xiao Fang agreed there is no evidence to prove that marriage and lunar years are linked. But with the taboo rooted in custom, people could choose to believe it or not believe it, as long as it does not affect their own happiness.
But architect Tian Wei believes in it. He has delayed his wedding until next year because of his family belief in the superstition.
"I have to consider my family's opinion. After all, to get married is not only a matter for two, but an issue for at least four people, or more members of the two families, in order to make the great event of my life perfect," Tian said.
