2017 is the year of the Rooster.
For those of you who place importance in that sort of thing, anyway.
Japanese brands have been plastering rooster-related images over everything in sight. They do this every year, with every animal. It’s supposed to be lucky.
I was browsing through the new year sales in a shopping centre, and I spotted this:
Can it be? Is the year of the rooster going to be as lucky as this beautiful egg it just laid?
Oh, wait. Oh god. That’s not an egg.
The original Chinese zodiac doesn’t make the distinction between a hen and a rooster. This cartoon does, with the bright red comb and wattle leaving zero room for doubt.
With a few unconfirmed, dubious stories on the internet aside, I’m pretty sure only hens can lay eggs, right?
That’s a rooster. Popping out… something unidentifiable. Which is meant to represent 2017. We know this because the year’s been helpfully written below it, with an exclamation mark. Surprise! No wonder the rooster looks a little perturbed.
Far be it from me to make sweeping assumptions based on line drawings. But, um, this poster is unintentionally implying that this year’s going to be crap.
Because the zodiac animals are paired with the elements, 2017 is a ‘Fire Rooster’ year. Does that sound a bit like a phoenix to anyone else?
So this year will be a time for rebirth, renewal and reinventions. For saying ‘sod it’, torching the whole lot and starting over. Given some of the dubious decisions made in 2016, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing.
Let’s face it, most of last year was about as unbelievable as a rooster laying an egg.
(Wishing a happy, healthy and lucky New Year to all Funny Women readers!)
