The Lunar New Year [1] officially kicked off on Feb. 12, ushering in the Year of the Ox [2]. China marks each year with a different zodiac sign — rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig — and 2021 is the Year of the Ox, an animal known for being hardworking, honest, dependable, kind, even-tempered, and logical and never looking for praise. The Year of the Ox will last until 31 Jan., 2022, and past Ox years include 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949, 1937, 1925, and 1913.
According to TheChineseZodiac.org, this year is going to be lucky [3] and is a great time to focus on relationships with friends and partners. It will be a year when hard work will be rewarded, but it will also be a time when we feel the weight of our responsibilities, so putting in extra effort to get things done is more important than ever. But the best part about 2021 being the Year of the Ox is that no catastrophic events are predicted to occur (fingers crossed!), so we are likely to see some economic recovery and benefits from long-term investments.
If you were born in a previous Year of the Ox, there is one downside: 2021 is predicted to be unlucky for you [4], as is the case when anyone's birth sign coincides with the sign of the year. You can, however, help counteract these potential challenges by focusing on your career, relationships, education, and health. You can also incorporate some of the lucky things for oxen into your life, like the colours blue, yellow, and green; the numbers one and four; and flowers lily of the valley and lucky bamboo.
Each Chinese zodiac sign also has one of five elements associated with it — wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. An ox with a metal sign is said to face obstacles early on in life but not suffer financial difficulties. So this year, wearing metal can also work to increase your luck.
One thing's for sure, after the craziness of 2020, we could all use some stable and low-drama oxen energy in our lives right now. Here's looking forward to the Year of the Ox!