Mandarin Matrix 2021 Year of Ox Review

As the second animal in the Chinese Zodiac, an Ox is considered hard-working, intelligent, patient, and a reliable creature that never looks to be the center of attention. An Ox is always recognised through the hard work.

According to Chinese culture, the Ox is a highly valued animal because of its agricultural role.

The Ox is the second out of the twelve zodiac signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

According to one of the most popular myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the way the animals arrived to his party. The Ox was about to be the first to arrive, but the Rat tricked the Ox into giving it a ride. Then, just as they came, the Rat jumped down and landed first. Thus, the Ox became the second animal in the Chinese Zodiac.  

This year, the Chinese New Year falls on February 12, and the festival will last for 15 days up to February 26. It is usually a 15-day celebration and each day, families rotate celebrations between their relatives’ homes. It’s a time where family and friends gather to celebrate a year of happiness, prosperity, health, and good fortune. 

Chinese New Year Activities

1) Putting up decorations before New Year’s Day

2) Eating dinner with the family on New Year’s Eve

3) Firecrackers and Fireworks

4) Giving Red Envelopes and other Gifts 

Food for the New Year emphasizes in lucky symbolic meanings such as fish, which sounds like the Chinese word for ‘surplus or extra’. These foods are eaten during the 15-day festive season, particularly for the New Year’s Eve family dinner.

Chinese New Year Food

• Fish (an increase in prosperity)
• Chinese dumplings (great wealth, because the shape of dumplings look like golden ingots)
• Glutinous rice cake (a higher income or position because in the word Nian Gao, nian means year, gao means cake which has the same sound as “higher” )

Famous Ox Year Babies

• Barack Obama: Born on August 4, 1961 (Metal Ox)
• Vincent Van Gogh: Born on March 30, 1853 (Water Ox)
• Walt Disney: Born on December 5, 1901 (Gold Ox)
• Margaret Thatcher: Born on October 13, 1925 (Wooden Ox)
• Andy Lau: Born on September 27, 1961 (Metal Ox)
• Jacky Cheung: Born on July 10, 1961 (Metal Ox)

Stay tuned for our next post and learn what people do during the Chinese New Year!