Year of the Dragon 2024: are you predicted bad luck? 5 ways to increase your good vibes, from wearing red underwear to getting married
- Every lunar year, certain Chinese zodiac animals offend the ruling deity and are at risk of bad luck – for 2024, Dragons, Dogs, Rabbit and Oxen must be careful
- Fortunately, according to tradition, there are ways to appease the ruling deity – known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter – to chase away bad luck
Have you ever been warned that a certain year means bad luck for your Chinese zodiac?
Underscoring such warnings is the concept of fan tai sui, or offending the Grand Duke of Jupiter, a concept rooted in Chinese astrology where deities are linked to stars and constellations.
There are 60 deities in Chinese astrology – one for each of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs (which correspond to Jupiter’s roughly 12-year orbital cycle) combined with the five elements of Chinese astrology (metal, wood, earth, fire and water).
These deities reign one by one over a 60-year cycle, replaced with the passing of each year. The current reigning deity is known as the Grand Duke of Jupiter, or tai sui, for that year.
A birth sign clashing with that year’s tai sui signifies potential adversity – usually around four of the zodiac animals fan tai sui every year. For the Year of the Dragon, those are the Dragon itself, Dog, Rabbit and Ox.
An intricate chart predicts which sign offends which tai sui, and offers insights into the challenges of the coming year.
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How will your Chinese zodiac fare in the Year of the Dragon?
Fortunately, according to tradition, there are ways to appease the Grand Duke of Jupiter.
Here are five things you can do if you are born in the Year of the Dragon, Dog, Rabbit or Ox to chase away those bad vibes.
1. Visit a temple
The easiest way to appease the Grand Duke is visiting a temple with a dedicated tai sui shrine to perform a sip tai sui ritual.
This ceremony grants you a protective talisman as a safeguard against adversity in the lunar year ahead. It’s crucial to express gratitude to the Grand Duke and return to the temple before the next new year to prevent the bad luck you have successfully countered being carried forward.
2. Wear red underwear
Ever noticed that red underwear gets pushed to the front of display cabinets and shop windows around Lunar New Year? It’s not just because red is an auspicious colour for the holiday.
According to folklore, red undergarments can ward off evil – the idea being that they will protect you from the bad luck brought by conflict with the Grand Duke of Jupiter.
This applies in particular to those who offend the deity because it is their zodiac year – so if you’re a Dragon, make sure you’re wearing red undergarments at the stroke of midnight this Lunar New Year, which starts on February 10.
3. Wear an amulet
Wearing an amulet of a different zodiac sign to confuse the Grand Duke is another way to ward off bad luck.
But don’t just choose any other sign: there are corresponding signs according to the zodiac to which you belong.
Dragons can try wearing an amulet of rooster, monkey or rat. Dogs can try one of horse. Oxen can try rat, rooster or snake, while Rabbits can try pigs or sheep.
Some fortune-tellers get more granular and dictate which metal or gemstone the amulet should be made of – usually gold or jade. Some even stipulate whether to wear it on a red string or a metal chain. Depending on who you consult, the answer may vary.
4. Practise good feng shui
For those who do not want the hassle of wearing or carrying anything with them throughout the year, placing certain objects of particular colours or materials at home can help head avoid adversity in the year to come.
Feng shui, or Chinese geomancy, is an ancient practice that is said to balance the energies of people and their environment. Even if your Chinese zodiac predicts a rough year ahead, feng shui is said to be able to balance any bad luck and improve your prospects for health, wealth or love.
Fortune-telling books include instructions, but inviting a feng shui master to your home can provide a bespoke solution not only for you but for your entire family.
5. Have a big celebration
In Chinese lore, milestones in life are considered auspicious events, and these are said to improve your luck.
Milestones include getting married, the birth of a child in the family, buying property or starting a new business.
The behaviour of using auspicious events to ward off bad luck is known as chong xi, or washing with good luck.
Many make sure these events happen on an auspicious date by consulting the Chinese almanac or a fortune-teller. Some go as far as to organise birth by caesarean section to make sure their child is born on an auspicious date, but that is a story for another time.
