DOUBLE CELEBRATION: DAY OF HEARTS AND YEAR OF THE TIGER
[PHOTO
AT LEFT - Year of the Tiger: Fireworks illuminate the sky during the start of
the First Philippine PyroMusical Competition at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay
City yesterday, coinciding with the celebration of the Chinese New Year and
Valentine’s Day. Below, a girl stands between toy tigers for sale at a store in
Binondo, Manila. Jonjon Vicencio/AP]
MANILA, FEBRUARY 15, 2010 (STAR) By Doreen Yu Two commodities most in demand today are roses and tikoy, this being Valentine’s Day as well as the lunar or, more commonly, Chinese New Year.
While the former is largely a commercial holiday, the latter is a festivity steeped in tradition and folklore. The Lunar New Year is celebrated throughout Asia, but it is most closely associated with the Chinese, who also refer to this auspicious day as the Spring Festival (xin qun or, literally, new spring).
Over 4,000 years ago, in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100 BC to 771 BC), the Chinese were already celebrating the Spring Festival. In the Han Dynasty (206 BC to 220 AD), Sima Qian invented the Tai Cu calendar, which set New Year's Day on the first day of the first month of the lunar year. Tai Cu is a period during the reign of Emperor Wu Di.
Legend has it that in ancient times, the evil Nian plundered and tyrannized the people each winter. To drive Nian away, the people burned bamboo stalks, and the flames and crackling sounds scared the evil spirit. This could be considered the first firecrackers, a tradition that is still carried out today.
The ancient Chinese believe that “a whole year's work depends on a good start in spring.” Thus, families prepare for the start of the year by cleaning house and preparing more than enough food on the eve of the New Year, to ensure that there will good fortune and plenty in the coming year.
The focus of the Spring Festival is the family. This is a time for families to gather together, and those who may have left the family home for study or work make it a point to come back, causing massive congestion at plane, train and other transport stations. It is important for family members to all gather around the hearth – or, in modern times, the dinner table – on New Year's Eve and share a sumptuous meal together.
Sweet cakes – the literal translation of tikoy – made of glutinous or sticky rice flour are an indispensable part of the meal, to symbolize the closeness, or sticking together, of the family.
These days, with the increased popularity of feng shui or the practice of geomancy, much is made of the Chinese zodiac. This is the Year of the Metal Tiger, a sign that is regarded with some trepidation, as the year is thought to take on characteristics of the animal and will thus be a tempestuous and even ferocious year.
The Year of the Tiger is seen as a “period of change characterized by intense activity, dramatic developments and political conflicts.” This seems to be particularly appropriate for the Philippines, since we are having a most important election in May which will not only give our country a new set of leaders, but will also be the first time the electoral process will be automated
JUDICIAL COUNCIL CUTS LIST OF SC CHIEF NOMINEES TO 6
(STAR) By Edu Punay - The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has cut to six nominees the initial list of candidates for chief justice after two aspirants were disqualified for having pending cases.
In an advertisement published in The STAR last Saturday, the JBC released the names of the remaining candidates and invited the public to submit comments.
The nominees are Senior Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Renato Corona, Associate Justices Conchita Carpio-Morales, Arturo Brion and Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, and Sandiganbayan acting Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval.
SC administrator and spokesman Midas Marquez said the names of Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio and Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Victor Fernandez were not included in the list after they were disqualified due to pending cases.
With the publication of the list, the JBC will now start to accept comments, either supportive or critical, from the public.
Marquez assured the people that the nominees would be thoroughly screened to disregard fabricated and malicious allegations against any aspirant.
The debate over a proposal to allow President Arroyo to appoint the successor of Chief Justice Reynato Puno who will retire this coming May 17 heats up, even more after another constitutional luminary contested the position of fellow constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas on the issue.
Retired appellate court Justice Regalado Maambong, also one of the framers of the 1987 Constitution, challenged the stand of Fr. Bernas and said Mrs. Arroyo can appoint the next chief justice despite the constitutional ban on appointments during the election period which covers Puno’s retirement date.
In his legal opinion submitted to the JBC, Maambong said the ban on midnight appointments by the President doesn’t include members of the judiciary.
“Contrary to the personal view of Fr. Joaquin Bernas, S.J., I opine that the appointment of members of the judiciary (needless to say especially those of the chief justice and justices of the Supreme Court), is not covered by the ban on midnight appointments,” he stressed.
“It is clear from the proceedings of the 1986 Constitutional Commission that the ban on ‘midnight appointments’ under Article Seven of the Constitution (Executive Department) refers only to positions in the executive department of government,” recalled Maambong, who is joining the senatorial race in May under the ticket of deposed President Joseph Estrada.