The Year of the Tiger dawns today, the first day of the Lunar New Year. It is a time of family reunions and of paying respect to ancestors; eating lucky foods; cleaning house and clearing debts. For Cincinnati football fans, the occasion may seem especially auspicious, falling two days after the Bengals clinched a Super Bowl slot.

Whatever this holiday means to you, may you channel the spirit of this zodiac animal, thought to be especially strong and brave. In these challenging times, we can use plenty of that.

HOKULE‘A ON YOUR LICENSE PLATE

OK, so the standard Hawaii license plate has a rainbow on it, but otherwise it’s pretty ho-hum for a state such as this. It’s for this reason that the specialty plates, such as the new one starring the Hokule‘a, have such appeal.

Oahu motorists can buy one for $35.50 at any satellite city hall, depicting the famous canoe anchored at Kualoa, Koolau cliffs as a backdrop, for its first sail to Tahiti 46 years ago. Of that fee, $20 goes to the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Info: 808ne.ws/specialtyplates.