In January, I wrote that according to the Chinese Zodiac, this is the Year of the Golden Pig. According to foklore, this is a special event that occurs once every 600 years and brings great fortune to babies born during the year.

As an aside, not many realized that the Chinese New Year didn’t start until February 18 this year. So your January baby doesn’t make the cut. But don’t worry, read on.

Many historians and others have discounted the year of the golden pig as mere legend. No historical record 600 years ago point to the significance of this day.

That hasn’t stopped the baby boom from soaring on in places like China and Korea. Historical fact will not stop the masses from having their golden piglet.

Many piglets However, my friend Walter had an interesting observation. All of these extra children that will be born as part of this boom are competing for the same scarce resources. As they grow up, they’ll all be competing in entrance exams for limited spots in the various prestigious universities. And when they graduate, they’ll be competing for a limited set of jobs.

So will the Year of the Golden Pig actually be the Year of the Starving Pig?

It will be interesting to see what happens in these countries.