The Year of the Ox

Welcoming the Year of the Ox

Lunar New Year happens on the second new Moon after the winter solstice, so the exact date changes each year. The Lunar New Year for 2021 was 12 of February. The Lantern Festival signals the end of the Lunar New Year festival period, which falls on 26 of February in 2021. There are three overarching themes for the Lunar New Year: fortune, happiness, and health.

Attracting and carrying over good fortune into the next year are major themes and so is protecting against bad fortune. Lunar New Year traditions include the Dragon Dance and giving red envelopes filled with money. Taboos and superstitions also attract good luck on Lunar New Year. This means, there are lots of little things you are supposed to do, as well as many thing you should not do. Many people believe that you are not supposed to cry or argue and avoid purchasing footwear for the entire lunar month. The best thing is to talk about good, positive, happy things, while it is also good luck to wear red.

Each year is themed after one of the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac, which also cycle through five elements. This means a full cycle takes 60 years to complete. The 2021 Lunar New Year is the year of the Metal Ox. The Ox is the second of all zodiac animals, after the Rat.

The Ox is highly valued animal in Asian cultures. With an important role in agriculture, there are many positive characteristics of the Ox, which are known to be hardworking and honest. The Ox and water are often linked historically in Chinese culture. After all, a water buffalo in the water-filled rice fields was a common sight across Asia. The Ox was also believed to protect people against evil spirits. The Ox never looks for praise, or to be the centre of attention. While the tendency to remain low key may hide their natural talent, they gain recognition through hard work. The Ox is kind, thinks logically and are known to make great leaders.

The Year of the Ox is considered to be generally positive, associated with responsibility and stability. However, there may be a change in the second half of 2021. As success cannot be achieved without diligence, the motto of the year may be: No money without hard work. The year of the Ox is a good year to stick to routines and habits, while laziness is discouraged. Independent activities as well as certain kind of patience and discipline are highly valued. Focus on things close to you, such as yourself and your family. For people born in the year of the Ox, the year of a person’s birth sign is believed to be unlucky. Therefore, 2021 may be a challenging year for people born in the year of the Ox.

The year of the Metal Ox will last until 22 of January 2022 and will be followed by the year of the Water Tiger. Happy Lunar New Year of the Metal Ox!