Nothing black about the 'sheep babies'

Many more babies will be born before the Year of the Horse ends, because couples in China try to avoid having babies in the Year of the Sheep, which starts on Feb 19, 2015. The reason: traditionally it is believed that "sheep babies" lead lives difficult.

The truth is, there is no evidence to prove that people born in a sheep year are destined for a difficult life. Apple co-founder, the late Steve Jobs, and movie stars Chow Yunfat and Zhang Ziyi were all born in the Year of the Sheep.

In fact, not many young people buy into the saying that the zodiac sign has a bearing on a person's life. Yet many young couples are pressured by their superstitious parents into not having babies in the Year of the Sheep.

Superstition, as its dictionary description says, is an irrational belief that an object, action or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome. Many people regard black cats as unlucky when they are unlucky only for mice. The number 13 is considered unlucky in the West, but it was quite an auspicious number in ancient China. The "rich" number "8" is viewed as lucky in China, yet it doesn't look different from any other number in the West.

But such is the influence of superstition on some people that they undergo cesarean section, even without going into labor, to give birth before the onset of a year they consider unlucky. Doctors warn that premature cesarean section is a violation of the laws of nature which could affect the baby's brains and health, but some people ignore their advice. On the social side, the sudden increase in the number of births in one year will make it even more difficult for children to get admission to schools and drastically raise the demand for jobs when they grow up.

Ironically, children born in a baby boom year can become a liability because they will be locked in a tougher competition for educational, natural and material resources. In more sense than one, their competition begins even before they are born, because their mothers have to wait longer for their regular medical check-ups and to secure a bed in a hospital for childbirth.

In China where more often than not parents guide (or even force) their children to choose the subjects to study and the vocations to compete for, zodiac signs are of least or no importance.

The really important thing is to encourage children to let their imagination soar and develop their unique skills.

The author is a writer with China Daily. yangziman@chinadaily.com.cn