MILLIONS of Asians ended the first phase of the largest movement of humans on the planet on Friday as the first new moon of the year rose to mark the start of the Year of the Rooster.
Even mainly Catholic Filipinos partook of the festivities, joking over the prediction of fortune tellers that since President Rodrigo Duterte was also born in a Year of the Rooster (1945), this year will likely be a “cockfight” for the new president.
According to Hong Kong fortune teller Priscilla Lam, a person born in the Year of the Rooster will face competition from the incoming Year of the Rooster—essentially it’s a cockfight.
“President Duterte’s war on drugs may not be popular among all, but it’ll make his country richer and healthier. Duterte needs to turn down his fire and take a step by step approach to dealing with the drugs problem, so he can win everyone’s support,” Lam said in an interview with CNN.
The holiday, also known as Spring Festival, is a time for families to gather their members for plentiful food and fireworks spurring hundreds of millions in China, Japan, Korean and other Asian nations to return to their places of origin.
The world’s largest annual human migration ended Friday when families must be together to usher in the new year on Saturday but getting home is usually a great physical challenge.
Millions of Chinese wearing thick coats and clutching suitcases lined up in freezing conditions at Beijing Railway Station in the hope of snagging a ticket home before the eve of the Lunar New Year.
The demand for tickets is so high that some people spend days trying to snare seats on public transport for the annual mega migration. Qi Xi is one of the lucky ones.
Transport officials estimate that Chinese passengers will make almost three-billion trips during the 40-day Lunar New Year period, including more than 2.5-billion journeys by road, the official Xinhua news agency said.
In Japan, Chinese and other tourists jammed major airports ahead of Lunar New Year’s eve.
While the official holidays in China are set to last for a week through Feb. 2, airline officials said holiday-related travel from Japan’s giant neighbor is expected to continue beyond that date.
An official for Japanese budget carrier Peach Aviation Ltd. said its Shanghai to Osaka flights are almost fully booked through Feb. 5. An official from All Nippon Airways Co. said the peak for departures from the airport is likely to take place on Feb. 5.
Last year, Chinese made up 26.5 percent of all tourists to Japan at 6.37 million, the most by nationality, followed by 5.09 million people from South Korea and 4.17 million from Taiwan.
Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump will strut through the Year of the Rooster, thriving as Hong Kong geomancers predict 2017 will be marked by the arguments and aggression—characteristics attributed to the animal.
With Trump at the top of the pecking order, the volatile traits of the rooster—combined with the year’s signature element of fire— mean rocky times ahead, particularly in the western world, feng shui masters say.
“The rooster likes to pick fights, loves to have verbal arguments and is combative,” Hong Kong soothsayer Thierry Chow told AFP.
Trump’s inauguration was met with mass protests in the US and he has already riled China, prompting fears of a trade war between the world’s top two economies.
Chow predicted he would ruffle more feathers in his first year as president. “There will be a lot of strikes and even riots,” says Chow.
The White House earlier announced Trump would speak for the first time with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was born in a year of the dragon (1952).
“A dragon is strong and can go anywhere — it can swim in the water or fly in the air. It’s filled with enthusiasm. That combined with the astrological sun sign on the day of President Putin’s birth makes him a strong leader, who is a clear thinker,” Lam said.
“Putin’s going to have good year. The element of metal in the latter part of 2017 means money for Putin — and for Russia. The Russian economy will prosper,” Lam added.