by Anuppa Caleekal, ©   www.digitalism.ca 2007 ©
Digitalism Magazine’s Ruby RedFlash Bridal jewellery campaign celebrates Chinese New Year 2007, The Year of The Fire Pig. The Chinese New Year, on Feb.18 this year 2007, is the first day of the first lunar month on the Chinese lunar calendar. Of all Chinese festivals, the Chinese New year is the most important.
Since Fire is equivalent to the colour Red in the Five-Element system, Year 2007 is also called the Red Pig Year. The predominant colours for the Chinese New year are red and gold with Red being the symbol of happiness, while gold embellishes wealth.
Among the Chinese red is seen as a colour of celebration, happiness and the colour to eradicate bad luck.
Statistics for 2004 indicate that Canada’s multicultural country consists of 1.3 million people of Chinese descent. As the Chinese New Year approaches let us pay tribute to the Chinese Canadians ancestors who build the Canadian national railway in the 19th century. Statistics taken in 2001 indicate Chinese was the third most commonly spoken language in Canada, next to English and French. In the 2001 Canadian census, 853,745 people reported that Chinese was their mother tongue( www.cbc.ca )The New year is not just The Year of Any Pig … it’s the Year of the Fire Pig. According to Korean culture the Year of the Golden Fire Pig is lucky, possibly a good time to marry and a good time to have children, and occurred last in 1947. The pig is widely seen as a symbol of fertility in China.
As a part of the RedFlash campaign to raise cultural awareness among brides getting married this year this article aims to highlight symbolic jewellery, where the Chinese New Year 2007 Year of the Pig, uses the symbol of the Pig as one of fertility good luck and prosperity.
The pig as a fertility representation was used not only by the Chinese but also other cultures inherent in todays Canadian society. For instance Baltic Pagans viewed the sow as symbol of abundance, Buddhist Goddess Marici was seated on a Lotus driven by 9 pigs, the Southern French legend of Carcasonne used the pig’s bursting belly as magic to combat the enemy very similar to the original Mexican pinnate which was originally a pig. The Germans viewed the pig as symbolic of wealth and abundance and the concept of the piggy bank was thus derived. German expression” schwein haben” is derived from the luck of a pig denoting to win or gain wealth. Among the ancient Germans, pigs represented fertility and luck and other powerful magical representation of pigs was also seen among Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Native Americans and Celts.
In context of Canadian multicultural composition, we can say with pride that Canadian culture “has pig”. To make the Pig even more sovereign, our current Prime Minister Steven Harper was born in 1959, Year of the Pig. As we Canadians enter The Year of the Pig 2007, led by a leader born in the Year of the Pig, the astrological governance predicts we are reigned by a good parent who is intelligent, honest, courageous, completes projects, is gallant, and sincere. Year of the Pig people are said to be honest and straightforward. It is said they can be relied on to see things through and tend to be popular and make lasting friendships and are good neighbors.
With this note Digitalism Magazine displays some lucky symbolic “Have Pig” jewellery for newly wed brides as well as Ruby Red jewellery to spark the Red Fire Pig.
A creative gift idea for those getting married this year to give to parents or future in-laws would be a commemorative Year of the Pig 2007, the Australian Lunar Silver Coin Series – Gilded Edition celebrates the Year of the Pig with a design depicting a piglet gilded in 24-carat gold. The design also includes the year-date, the Chinese character for ‘pig’, and a border of bats and clouds symbolising health, peace and prosperity.
The Rare Coin Company is an Australian owned business which was originally established in 1982 in Albany Western Australia. Over the years the company has undergone many stages of development to emerge as one of Australia’s leading numismatic specialty firms today.
Contact
http://www.rarecoin.com.au
12 Sanford Road, Albany, WA, 6330
Phone: 08 9842 5022
Fax: 08 9842 1702
Freecall: 1800 641 633
Postage stamp illustrating Year of the Pig is also out by Canada Post. Your wedding invitations with the Year of the Pig Stamp is a fine way to get festive
Contact for
Canada and the USA: 1 800 565-4362.
From other countries: (902) 863-6550.
Fax: (902) 863-6796
or write to:
NATIONAL PHILATELIC CENTRE
75 ST. NINIAN ST
ANTIGONISH NS B2G 2R8
CANADA
Ruby jewels highlighted here from Ross-Simons are to spark the Red Fire Pig for the bride married in the Year of The Pig. Here are some Ruby Estate rings and necklace collections from Ross-Simons so full of fire.
 
Contact Information for Ross-Simons collection
http://jewelry.ross-simons.com
Contact by Phone
1-800-835-1343
Contact by Mail
Ross-Simons
Customer Service
9 Ross-Simons Drive
Cranston, RI 02920
To place an order, call 24 hours a day! 1-800-835-0919
Here is a Gold Pig good luck bracelet for newly wed brides from jewelbasket.com
gold pig bracelet
http://www.jewelbasket.com
Mailing Address:
Jewelbasket.com, LLC
P.O. Box 825
Fair Lawn NJ, 07410
For Orders Call Toll-Free: 1-866-815-3935 (International 201-703-9117)
How about a golden pig pin with ruby red eyes for good luck from Heavenly Treasures 
For pig pin Contact
Heavenly Treasures
321 Main st
Allenhurst, NJ 07711
Orders & Inquiries:1800-495-5777
Customer Service: 1800-269-4637As reminder of the Year of the Pig’s fertility luck, the Aaron Basha ruby red baby shoe may be appropriate as a charm for signifying the hope for an abundance of fertility for the new bride 
Contact Aaron Basha http://www.aaronbasha.com
 680 Madison Avenue
 (between 61st and 62nd streets)Â
 212.935.1960  February 18. 2007 , Happy New Year of The Pig wishes from Digitalism Magazine www.digitalism.ca Â