The forthcoming lunar "Golden Year of the Tiger" is supposed to bring fortune and good luck, especially since the powerful tiger is linked with the element gold.

However, recent talk swirling on the Internet has captured attention and cast a bit of a shadow on the golden beast.

The uninformed chatter by many young people is that the next Chinese lunar year is a so-called "widow year" in which bad luck and infertility for life are said to befall those who marry in the year.

Young couples hold a traditional wedding in Shanghai. Although the coming lunar new year is considered a "widow year," it hasn't affected wedding plans in Shanghai and prices have increased by 5 to 10 percent because of high demand. [Shanghai Daily]

They're curious about the weird notion and many wonder if there's a way to avoid bad luck if they marry in the Tiger Year.

There was similar talk in 2005, the Year of the Rooster, and 2008, the Year of the Rat, but it isn't related to the animals of the zodiac, but rather to more complicated solar terms (we elaborate later).

The notion of a "widow year" stems from the difference between lunar and solar calendars, and it's all about the importance of fertility and child-bearing.

The vast majority of people today don't believe in "widow years" and a survey of marriage planners shows that they expect more marriages in 2010, not less, partly because it's the year of a great event for China - World Expo 2010.

Still, this astrology riff sheds light on Chinese culture and folklore.

Here's a bit of common mythology, In choosing a wife, it is said that men should avoid women born in Tiger Years, especially born at night (3-5am), when tigers are especially fierce and hungry. These women are said to be domineering, Also tigers and dragons should not marry because they are natural antagonists. Of course, tigers should not marry sheep/goats.

In ancient Chinese tales, the tiger was once a guardian of the Jade Emperor and was sent to kill monsters in the human world. The Year of the Tiger is often considered to be a bright and lucky year. In old sayings about prosperity, the tiger is frequently linked with the dragon, another auspicious beast. "Flying dragon and leaping tiger" was a common saying.

But the notion of a "widow year" is not related to the tiger. It originates in the Chinese lunar calendar based on moon phases, which do not accurately reflect seasonal and weather changes important to agrarian culture.

So drafters of the lunar calendar added 24 seasonal markers, 15-day solar terms based on the solar year, to indicate these changes in nature's rhythm to farmers and help them decide when to plant crops or harvest them.

The seasonal markers covering the year are called jie qi (jie means period and qi means weather).

In ancient times, the solar terms were the only indicator of seasons and weather, and played a vital role in agrarian life. Many traditions originated in solar terms.

For example, the Qingming Festival, or tomb-sweeping day, marks one of the 24 jie qi. Qingming means clear and bright and indicates nice warm weather. It usually falls around on April 4-6 of the solar calendar.

The notion of a "widow year" comes from the terms.

The solar terms start with Lichun, or the Start of the Spring, usually on February 4-6 of the solar calendar. Li means start and chun means spring. In traditional terms, the day of Lichun indicates that the yang (hot) energy rises rapidly in the universe as it enters spring - it also represents procreation.

The coming Year of the Tiger starts late on February 14 and ends on February 2 in 2011, which means there is no Lichun in the whole year.

Since there is no start of spring in the entire year, there is no rising yang energy (hot yang for male and cold yin for female) and no procreation, it is said.

Thus the year is called a "widow year," though it does not refer to a woman who has lost her mate or suggest disaster befalls the husband. It refers instead to fertility and it is said that women who marry in a "widow year" will have a hard time getting pregnant (since there is no start of spring, representing procreation). Infertility, of course, is disaster.

"The so-called 'widow year' is just a natural phenomenon due to the difference between solar and lunar calendars. It is silly to believe the talk and change wedding plans," says professor Zhong Fulan from East China Normal University and an expert on folk customs.

"Those who want to get married should just do so," he says.

Every 19 years there are seven years (non-successive) with two Lichun (start of spring) and seven years without Lichun due to the different number of days in solar and lunar calendars.

For example, the years 2005 and 2008 were both years without Lichun, and called "widow years." The year 2013 will be another "widow year."

On the other hand, the year 2009 had two Lichun, and so will the year 2012.

The "widow talk" hasn't affected wedding plans in Shanghai and prices have increased by 5 to 10 percent because of high demand.

One wedding company predicts 150,000 couples will tie the knot in 2010, compared with 140,000 last year.

Zhang Fanlin, a retired middle school teacher, agrees with professor Zhong. The 73-year-old Henan Province native now lives in Shanghai with his family and prefers the 24 solar terms to weather forecasts.

In his hometown in Henan near the Yellow River, the cradle of Chinese civilization, the 24 solar terms and related predictions are said to be quite accurate.

For example, it is said that if it doesn't rain on Dongzhi or the extreme of winter, usually around December 21-23, then it will rain on the Chinese Lunar New Year. And it always gets cold, rains a lot and there's a lot of dew on Bailu or white dew around September 7-9, Zhang says. That's when he starts wearing a light jacket.

"There's a lot of folklore related to the 24 solar terms but young people today don't know most of them. Most don't even know the 24 terms, to say nothing of the tales surrounding them," says Zhang. "That's why they get so curious over things like the 'widow year'."

He first heard of the Internet chatter from his 27-year-old grandson who asked him if there was anything to that weird talk and whether Zhang believed it - his grandfather doesn't.

The young man was fascinated because he had never heard of such a thing, didn't know how many solar terms there are and only knew the names of three or four.

Zhang's grandson is not alone. Unlike their grandparents and parents, young people today, especially those in cities, have grown up without knowing about many traditions and customs. Without much knowledge of folklore, some embrace quirky old concepts rather than challenge them, while others simply ignore customs.