All hail the Year of the Ox

Defined as a calendar cycle as opposed to an astrological cycle, the Chinese Zodiac assigns a different animal to each year in a twelve-year cycle, with each animal (and accompanying year) exhibiting its own range of characteristics. Those born in each year might find the characteristics of that year applied to their own personality; the animal and its accompanying traits is believed, in Chinese lore, to be the factor in each person’s life that gives them their characteristics and affects their levels of success and happiness.

LEGENDARY OX
2009 (or year 4707 on the Chinese calendar) - the Year of the Ox - is set to be a more powerful year than one might originally think upon first considering the humble ox itself. Not to be mistaken for the year of the cow or the year of the bull, the Ox occupies the second year in the cycle of the Chinese zodiac, via a tale that’s been handed down in Chinese lore for centuries.
According to legend, a rat tricked an ox into giving him a ride across a treacherous river to the other side. The ox agreed. At the last possible moment, the rat jumped from the oxen’s back to land at the feet of the Jade Emperor, in such a brash display of bravery that the Emperor decreed that the rat would be the first symbol of the Chinese zodiac, with the oxen given the second honorary spot; the ox would also prosper during Rat years as a result of this mystical happening.

STANDARD OX
So what of the Ox in a more earthly, traditional sense? Oxen are cattle that are specially trained as draft animals; females are not often trained as oxen (their smaller size lends them to better use as milk and calf producers), so the bulk of the duty is generally given to adult males, who are referred to as “handy steers” before they are four years old. At four, they graduate to the term “Ox” (“oxen” when you’re referring to more than one.) They’re usually used in teams of two, paired up for work such as carting, plowing, transport, hauling cargo, threshing grain by trampling, irrigation, or pulling wagons or logs.
But it’s only a smart ox who makes the grade. To become oxen, the cattle have to learn their driver’s signals, which are given verbally and by body language (and, in the case of stubborn cattle, a stick or whip.) The most common commands are “get up” (go), “whoa” (stop), “gee” (turn to the right) and “haw” (turn to the left.) Most oxen are carefully trained from youth, as oxen can pull longer and harder than horses; they might not be as fast as horses, but they are steady, sure-footed, and know how to pull the load evenly. As a result, drivers will go out of their way to take their time with training the cattle, and with crafting or purchasing as many as a dozen different yokes (the steering mechanism that each ox wears over its shoulders) as the ox grows up.

BENEFICIAL OX
And now, back to the ox’s significance in our new year - for 2009, it’s foretold that we will “feel the yoke of responsibility” this Ox year, with any “trials and tribulations” being seen mostly on the home front. An Ox year is thought to be a good time to settle domestic affairs, stick to routine, and put your house (or perhaps the White House?) in order. The diligent, disciplined influence of the Ox will ostensibly encourage everyone to apply themselves this year, as well - since the motto of the year is “No work, no pay,” it is said that those who are too lazy to sow, especially in an Ox year, will have no one to blame but themselves if there is nothing to reap, for an Ox year can be a year of harvest if we put effort into it. To put it in more straightforward terms, although the quiet Ox may be soft-spoken, he carries a big stick.
A born leader, the Ox is also dependable, calm, kind, caring, and modest; methodical and tireless in its work; capable of enduring hardships without complaint; and is unswervingly ambitious and patient. Good qualities for all - and apparently those qualities will reap even more benefits in Ox year 2009.
Following the Chinese 12-year cycle, the next Ox year won’t be until 2021 - so it seems like we’d best make good use of the Ox year while it’s around.


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