The Year of the Ox

Long ago, the Jade Emperor set out to name the constellations of the zodiac. He decided to hold a contest and name the constellations after the animals that showed up at his palace. The first animal to answer the call was the ox. Enjoying a huge head start, the good-natured ox met a rat along the way. “Can I have a ride?” asked the rat. The ox, not suspecting any chicanery, gladly said yes. When the pair arrived at the palace, the rat leapt off the ox’s head and scurried into the palace, effectively arriving first. This is why the rat is the first constellation in the Chinese zodiac and the ox is relegated to second place.

2021 is the Chinese year of the ox again, and it comes on the heels of 2020, which was suitably the year of the rat. What can we expect from the ox? Oxen are industrious, cautious, and generally helpful, so all signs seem positive. The last time it was the year of the ox was 2009. What happened that year? Barack Obama took office as the 44th US president, the Sri Lankan Civil War ended, swine flu became a global pandemic, and Avatar was released in theaters. In other words, a mixed bag. What can we expect from 2021? Hopefully, the ox will stay true to character and help us out of our current troubles. Before 2009, the last year of the ox was 1997. Malala Yousafzai and Naomi Osaka were both born that year, so maybe there’s good cause for hope.