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Some people are born lucky. Parents in China, however, would rather not leave their kids fate to chance. For the past few weeks, many couples have been trying desperately to conceive, racing against time to have a baby in the fortuitous Year of the Horse. Their reasoning: No one wants a baby born in 2015, the dreaded Year of the Sheep. Sheep are meek creatures, raised for nothing more than slaughter. Babies born in the Year of the Sheep, therefore, will grow up to be followers rather than leaders, according to some superstitions. The children are destined for heartbreak and failed marriages, and they will be unlucky in business, many Chinese believe. One popular folk saying holds that only one out of 10 people born in the Year of the Sheep finds happiness. Health professionals say fertility consultations have spiked in recent months. Some doctors even have expressed worries that there may be a corresponding jump in abortions later this year, as couples realize they missed the horse-year cutoff. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Sheep (also called goat or ram) begins Feb. 19, 2015, so the window for conception closes around the end of this month. Many patients have inquired about early delivery via Caesarean section to ensure a horse-year birth, said Li Jianjun, an obstetrician at Beijing s United Family Hospital. Some doubt the furor will have a significant effect on the Chinese birthrate this year. But the babymania is so widespread that the state-run China News Service issued a report trying to debunk the “unfounded” myth of bad luck for those born in Year of the Sheep. “We try our best to dissuade couples from believing the sheep superstitions,” one official at China s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. The woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to give an interview, said the subject has become such a prominent issue that it is often addressed in classes for would-be parents. But the medical professionals do not have an easy sell. The official said that even her colleagues at the disease-control center are obsessed with the supposed luck a horse year brings. All that pressure It s unclear how the Year of the Sheep came to acquire its bad reputation. Each of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac has it virtues and faults. The undisputed favorite is the dragon, often followed by the tiger and the horse — an energetic animal closely associated with success, according to Chinese sayings. Even rats (considered clever and agile) and snakes (which look like mini-dragons) are considered lucky. But sheep have fewer advantageous qualities, according to some interpretations. 据《华盛顿邮报》报道，有些人生来就是幸运的，然而中国的父母们可不想仅凭机遇来决定他们孩子的命运。 过去几周内，许多夫妻拼命努力地尝试受孕，争分夺秒地想要在幸运的马年生下一个宝宝。他们的理由很简单：没人想在可怕的羊年要小孩。 羊是一种温顺的动物，养着就是为了长大后宰掉吃肉的。按照一些迷信的说法，羊年出生的小孩长大后会像温顺的羊一样永远只能追随别人、永远都成为不了领袖。很多中国人认为，羊年出生的孩子注定要遭受痛苦的心碎，失败的婚姻和生意上的霉运。其中一个流传甚广的民间说法是在十个羊年出生的人中只有一个能找到幸福。 健康专家表示，近几个月的生育咨询数量大增。有些医生甚至担忧年末会有大量的夫妇因错过马年生育而选择堕胎。 根据中国农历日历，羊年（亦称山羊或绵羊年）从农历2015年2月29日开始，所以今年最理想的怀孕日期大概在本月月末。 北京和睦家医院产科医师李建军表示，很多夫妇都询问过可否通过剖腹产以提前在马年产下孩子。 有些人认为这种“马年赶着生小孩”的狂热会给今年中国的出生率带来巨大影响。这种过度狂热、且大幅传播的“婴儿潮”促使官方的中国新闻社专门发表了一期报道，以揭穿“羊年生的小孩走霉运”这种“毫无根据”的民间传说。 中国疾病预防控制中心一名不愿透露姓名的女官员表示，“我们正尽力规劝夫妇不要相信所谓的羊年迷信。”她表示，关于羊年的迷信已经成为一个很严重的问题，甚至很多时候需要专门的课程来帮助“准父母”们在这方面答疑解惑。 但医务人员不容易。这位官员说，即便是她在疾病控制中心的同事，也对这种马年好运的说法深信不疑。 |
