The Chinese lunar new year, a holiday observed by primarily East Asian countries and Vietnam, begins February 1, 2022 and starts the Spring Festival season that ends fifteen days later on the evening of the Lantern Festival. 2022 is the Year of the Water Tiger.
The Chinese zodiac rotates through a 12-year cycle of animals and the traditional five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. In 2022, the tiger will usher in the third year of the 12-year cycle, following the Year of the Ox in 2021. Dating from as early as 1000 BCE, the traditional Chinese method of counting years is based on the sixty-year rotation of the planet Jupiter (known as the “year star”) around the sun.
The tiger has long held powerful significance in Chinese culture, where the zodiac tradition originated. In Chinese mythology the tiger is called upon by the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven, to exorcise demons. Given its status as a guardian, the tiger embodies archetypal characteristics of courage, bravery and resilience.