Welcoming in the Year of the Tiger

When the weather reports predict a nor’easter or a heavy snow falling on a Saturday, I am filled with joy. There is nothing like waking up and having the entire day available to read, bake and not feel the necessity of fulfilling any obligations. As I sleep with an open window, I knew it had started to snow just after midnight on Friday evening when I felt cold dampness on my face through the window. I fell back to sleep, knowing I would wake up to a white, quiet landscape. The peacefulness that comes with a fresh snow before the ploughs clear the streets, and traffic begins to emerge again.

The calendar has shifted to February. This year the official celebration of the lunar New Year was Feb. 1. This is the Year of the Tiger, and everyone is hoping this strong creature can chase away the COVID virus. For the Asians who celebrate there are many traditions. One is removing any bad luck that remains from the previous year by sweeping it away and cleaning the house. Another is to decorate with red, as it is believed to be the color that brings prosperity and energy and could ward off evil spirits and negativity. It is also the time to remember ancestors, perhaps by setting a place for them at the table.

February is Black History Month, first proposed by Black educators and the Black students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first celebration took place at the college a year later, from Jan. 2 to Feb. 28, 1970. Six years later it was being celebrated across the United States. President Gerald Ford recognized it officially as Black History Month in 1976, when we were celebrating the U.S. Bicentennial.

There is something special to celebrate in New Hampshire during this month. Recently, a rare and precious first edition novel published in 1859 by Harriet E. Wilson (1825-1900) came back to the state. Ms. Wilson, who lived in Milford, is considered the mother of the African American novel, and her book, Our Nig; or Sketches in the Life of a Free Black, was published in Boston.

This rare first edition was found in a safe by Rebecca Davis, a retired librarian settling an estate in California. She felt the book should be at home in New Hampshire and reached out to the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. While Ms. Davis is in New Hampshire she will “meet the founder of the Black Heritage Trail, Valerie Cunningham, tour historic sites in Portsmouth and Milford including the African Burying Ground, review the Black History archive at Portsmouth Athenaeum, attend a living history presentation about Ona Judge, and visit Rock Rest, the African American guest house listed in the Green Book.” You can learn more by visiting blackheritagetrailnh.org.

I wish you a Happy Lunar New Year as we enter the Year of the Tiger. A year that is filled with joy and happiness.

The time is now as far as the Tiger is concerned, grab the opportunities that come your way or miss them as there is no time for procrastination. It is wise to remember that opportunities rarely present themselves twice.

The Tiger represents the direction of Northeast and the month of February, both aspects supporting new beginnings. The northeast is where the sun begins its journey of the new day and although it is not yet showing above the horizon the adventure has begun.

Elizabeth Howard is the host of the Short Fuse Podcast, found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or through the ArtsFuse. Her career intersects journalism, marketing, and communications. Ned O’Gorman: A Glance Back, a book she edited, was published in May 2016. She is the author of A Day with Bonefish Joe, a children’s book, published by David R. Godine. She lives in New York City and has a home in Laconia. You can send her a note at Elizabeth@laconiadailysun.com.