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The Water Tiger heralds the Lunar New Year

Winning Chinatown banner for Lunar New Year banner created by graphic design student Kenneth Mayo  Winning Chinatown banner for Lunar New Year banner created by graphic design student Kenneth Mayo
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A celebration of a new beginning based on lunar cycles begins around the world today.

It is Lunar New Year and 2022 is the Year of the Tiger.

“It’s very important for Asian cultures,” said Tina Chen, programming chair at Winnipeg Chinese Cultural Centre. “It’s really a celebration linked to the Lunar New Year and a sense of a new beginning.”

The tiger is the third animal in the 12-year lunar cycle. More specifically, this year it will be a water tiger because, in addition to the rotation of animals in the calendar, there is also a circle of five elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

“Tigers are known for their strength and vitality and I’ve been saying to everyone we’re going to need it for this coming year because we don’t know what’s going to come so we’re really happy about that,” said Chen.

However, the water tiger does have some unique attributes that make it more open-minded.

“Sometimes the tiger can be known for really charging ahead, doing things it thinks needs to be done, so I’m glad this year the tiger will be a little more tempered and hopefully can sort of help us navigate what will be 2022,” Chen said.

Celebrations in Winnipeg this year will look a little different due to the pandemic. Normally there would be a multitude of events, banquets and cultural performances, including lion dances.

This year a lot of the programming will be done virtually, including the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural Community Centre’s virtual show this Saturday.

Winnipeg’s Chinese New Year banner was unveiled Tuesday on CTV Morning Live.

It was the creation of graphic design student Ken Mayo, who said his image was inspired by the tiger’s attributes of strength.

The banners can be seen throughout the city’s Chinatown District.

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