Former US Secretary of State George Schultz has a tiger tattoo!

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George Schultz has a tiger tattoo

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The meaning of a dragon and tiger tattoo

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The meaning of a dragon and tiger tattoo

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Symbols for The Year of the White Tiger Tattoo

In a previous post I mentioned about common mistakes in Chinese Tattoos, so please bear these in mind when considering what symbols you could add to your Year of the Tiger tattoo! However, one way to make your Chinese Tiger Tattoo unique to you is to add the symbol for the element or attribute of the year in which you were born.

metal1 Symbols for The Year of the White Tiger Tattoo

The Chinese symbol for Metal

2010 was the Year of the White Tiger, and the last year of the White Tiger was 1950. You were born in the Year of the White Tiger if your birthday was between 17 February 1950 and 05 February 1951. However, its correct name is The Year of the Metal Tiger.

As with the Western Zodiac, the Chinese Zodiac signs are divided up into elements. The Chinese elements, or attributes, are: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal, which are slightly different to the Western elements of Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

Each attribute lasts for a period of two Chinese astrological years, so not only was 2010 a “metal” year – the following year, 2011 was “metal” too. 2011 was The Year of the White Rabbit – or The Year of the Metal Rabbit, which started on 03 February 2011.

As with each of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, each element has its own attributes. Those born under the sign with an attribute of Metal have qualities such as persistence, rigidity, unyieldingness, strength and determination.

Metal is very strong and the Metal person can be ambitious, forceful, controlling and very set in their ways. The closest friends and relatives of Metal people can end up feeling shut out as they can be frustratingly self-reliant, preferring to deal with their problems on their own.

The metal person is also materialistic, business minded, good at organising and loves stability. However they also appreciate luxury and enjoy the good things in life.

Just as metal conducts electricity, Metal people can have very strong impulses and can influence change and transformation in those with whom they come into close contact.

In the body, Metal is believed to govern the lungs, nose and skin. The negative emotion associated with Metal people is grief, while their positive emotion is courage.

Other attributes will be covered in future posts:

08 February 1902 – 28 January 1903: Water Tiger
26 January 1914 – 13 February 1915: Wood Tiger
13 February 1926 – 01 February 1927: Fire Tiger
31 January 1938 – 18 February 1939: Earth Tiger
17 February 1950 – 05 February 1951: Metal Tiger
05 February 1962 – 24 January 1963: Water Tiger
23 January 1974 – 10 February 1975: Wood Tiger
09 February 1986 – 28 January 1987: Fire Tiger

But as I have said before (and will keep saying, ha ha), it is absolutely essential to have any symbols you want to use on your Year of the Tiger Tattoo translated by an expert!!

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Chinese tattoos – common mistakes

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Chinese Tattoos Common Mistakes

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Tattoo aftercare – how to stop your Year of the Tiger Tattoo from fading with Tattoo Goo

tiger on leg1 Tattoo aftercare   how to stop your Year of the Tiger Tattoo from fading with Tattoo Goo

Tiger Tattoo from Flickr

Once you have had your Year of the Tigertattoo inked and it has healed, you are going to want to make sure you continue to give the tattoo and your skin the best possible care. I was surfing tiger tattoos on Flickr and came across this picture.

I was immediately struck by the bright colours and particularly the red, pink and green that are set off brilliantly by the orange and black markings. It is always a pity when through lack of care, a tattoo is allowed to fade.

Recently I found a Tattoo aftercare product that looks as though it ticks all the boxes: Tattoo Goo – The Original Aftercare Salve.

One of the causes of fading in a tattoo is inflammation. Another is UV exposure, which is why you need to keep your tattoo protected from the sun.

The Original Tattoo Goo is the best selling tattoo After-care product on Amazon. Made with all-natural ingredients Tattoo Goo is ideal to promote fast healing. You can also use it for skin that is damaged, chapped, scraped, sun or wind burned from X-Treme sports.

The unique Tattoo Goo formula uses herbs, oils and vitamins known for their natural healing properties, which allow the skin to breath. It is also very soothing.

Tattoo Goo does not stain and has a pleasant natural smell. It is also petroleum free, lanolin free, and mineral oil free.

This looks like a product I need to bring to the attention of my daughter – her new Koi Carp tattoo , all down her back, is certainly going to take some maintaining!

 

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Year of the White Tiger Tattoos

white tiger 2 600x600 296x300 Year of the White Tiger Tattoos

2010 is The Year of the White Tiger

Although there are twelve signs in the Chinese Horoscope, they also have five attributes: earth, fire, wood, water and metal, so in fact the Chinese Zodiac signs go through a 60 year cycle.

2010 year was the Year of the Metal Tiger and was the 27th year in the 60 year cycle. The last Year of the Metal Tiger was in 1950 and before that 1910. The Year of the Metal Tiger is also known as The Year of the White Tiger.

Well known people born in The Year of the White Tiger, include:

  • William Hurt American actor, born March 20, 1950
  • Stevie Wonder American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer, born May 13, 1950
  • Bill Murray American actor, born 21 September 1950
  • Bernie Taupin, American songwriter, born 22 May 1950
  • Cybill Shepherd, American actress, born 18 February 1960
  • Christina Onassis, Greek heiress, born 11 December 1950, died 19 November 1988
  • Bonnie Parker, American outlaw, born 01 October 1910, died 23 May 1934
  • Cyril Cusack, Irish actor, born 26 November 1910, died 07 October 1993
  • Jack Hawkins, English Actor, born 14 September 1910, died 18 July 1973

Silver is believed to be particularly lucky for people born in The Year of the White Tiger.

White Tiger tattoos offer a unique variation on the more usual Tiger tattoo design. The tiger has long symbolised strength and power, particularly in Asian culture and religion, but white tigers have even greater charisma and mystique due to the fact that they are extremely rare.

White Tigers are seldom found in the wild because it is difficult for them to remain camouflaged when hunting and they are easily spotted by their prey. Survival is extremely difficult for them. The majority of those seen in captivity have been born as the result of callous in-breeding.

A White Tiger tattoo could express your own uniqueness or even affirm that, like the White Tiger in the wild, you are a survivor of a life long struggle. Or you may choose a White Tiger tattoo because of their simple beauty.

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David Beckham has a misspelt tattoo!

David Beckhams tattoos 300x256 David Beckham has a misspelt tattoo!

David Beckham's Hindi Tattoo

David Beckham, the former English international football star, has embraced body art in a big way since he had his first tattoo inked following the birth of his son Brooklyn in March 1999. However, David Beckham also has a tattoo that reinforces one of the first rules of getting a tattoo done in a language that is not your own – and that is to have the tattoo professionally translated!

In 2000, for his third tattoo, Beckham opted to have his wife’s name, Victoria, inked on his inside lower left arm. However, he thought it would be less tacky to have it done in Hindi.

In India, over 180 million people speak Hindi as their first language and a further 300 million learn it as their second language. Any one of these people would instantly notice that Victoria has been misspelled as Vihctoria.

This is yet another example of how important it is to get your Chinese Year of the Tiger tattoo professionally and Char4U.com offers a Chinese Tattoo Designs service.

The main reason that western people make Chinese Tattoo Mistakes is because they use free Chinese translation services either online or offline.

Picture of David Beckham’s tattoos reproduced under Creative Commons with permission of Personeelsnet on flickr

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Angelina Jolie has a tiger tattoo

American actress Angelina Jolie is as well known for her tattoos as her acting ability – not forgetting of course that she is also the partner of Brad Pitt. Jolie is believed to have 13 tattoos, the most recent of which is a tiger on her lower back.

When filming, most of the time her tattoos are covered by make up, but in “Wanted”, released in 2008, Jolie bared all. You can see Angelina Jolie’s tiger tattoo very clearly in the following film clip:

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube Direkt

Angelina Jolie’s Bengal tiger tattoo is 12 inches long and 8 inches wide. It was done in Bangkok on July 8, 2004, by tattoo artist Sompong Kanhphai, who also did her Khmer tattoo, which is on her left shoulder. Jolie’s tiger tattoo took two hours and was created in the traditional Thai style, using a manual needle. Kanhphai blessed the tattoo by chanting an ancient hymn.

Like most people’s tattoos, Jolie’s tiger has special significance and was done to celebrate her Cambodian citizenship. The tiger’s tail covers a tattoo of a tribal blue window.

Continuing to show her affinity with the tiger, Jolie also provided the voice of Master Tigress in Kung Fu Panda, (the DreamWorks animated movie released in 2008), and will feature in the sequel Pandemonium, which is planned for release in 2011. With revenue of $632 million internationally, Kung Fu Panda is Angelina’s highest grossing revenue film to date.

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Year of the Tiger Tattoos – what do they represent?

tiger tattoo2 199x300 Year of the Tiger Tattoos   what do they represent?

What does a Tiger Tattoo say about your personality?

What does your Year of the Tiger Tattoo say about you?

In Asian cultures the Tiger is a very powerful symbol. It has long been popular in tattooing in India, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Japan.

While in Europe and the Middle East the Lion is a symbol of power and kinship, it is the tiger that occupies that position in the Asian psyche. While Europeans tend to call the lion “The King of the Jungle”, in Korea the Tiger is called “The King of the Animals”.

The attractiveness of the Tiger is due to their complex and multi-faceted personality. The Tiger has what would seem to be opposing traits. On the surface they appear to be dominant and ferocious but once you get to know them you will find that, like their animal counterparts they are also noble and distinguished.

Although loving and friendly, at times Tigers can also be extremely short tempered, selfish and intolerant of people they don’t agree with. Because they enjoy attention, they will seek it out and they love power.

People born in The Year of the Tiger see themselves as distinct individuals and like the fact that they are very different to others. The appearance of a tiger in a dream may signal that new power or passion may be awakening inside you.

Picture reproduced with the permission of G.dallorto

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The symbolism of Year of The Tiger tattoos in ancient culture and religion

A Year of the Tiger tattoo is often used as a symbol for protection. In China, images of tigers are worn or used as charms to protect from evil. Stone tigers are common outside houses and other buildings and during the Chou dynasty, images of tigers were hung in the rooms of pregnant women to protect their unborn babies.

Kuniyoshi Utagawa Tiger 103x300 The symbolism of Year of The Tiger tattoos in ancient culture and religion

Tiger by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, 1798 - 1861

Tigers feature regularly in myths and legends of Asian Culture and religion. Hindus believe that the God Shiva rides upon a tiger and that he wears a tiger skin for his role as a destroyer.

Bhuddists believe that the original followers of Buddha rode tigers to show their supernatural ability and to combat and overcome evil. In Buddhism, the Tiger is also known as one of the Three Senseless Creatures, symbolising anger, while the monkey represents greed and the deer lovesickness.

In India many of the forest and jungle dwelling people worshipped the Tiger as Gods, constructing shrines and temples to worship them. The widely worshiped Hindu goddess Durga is a ten-armed warrior who rides either a tigress or lioness into battle. In southern India the god Aiyappa was associated with a tiger. While in Sumatra, the followers of Islam believe tigers punish sinners on behalf of Allah.

Tigers in Asia have always been regarded as a symbol of strength and royal power and in Asian courts were used as “executioners” . Only noblemen were permitted to hunt the tiger. They established extensive tiger game reserves, to ensure they always had adequate supply of tigers for hunting. These game reserves helped preserve the species to some extent by providing a habitat that was not encroached by humans.

Whereas in Europe and Africa the Lion has always been regarded as The King of Beasts, in Asia, the Tiger is regarded as The King of Animals. If you look at the markings on a tigers forehead, you can often make out a marking: 王. This resembles the Chinese character for “king”, which is why many Chinese cartoon pictures of the tiger feature this symbol.

In China, the Tiger has huge importance, being one of the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac and the year 2010 is of particular significance as the Year of the Tigerstarted on 14 February 2010.

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