The Chinese New Year starts Friday, marking the transition from the Year of the Rat to the Year of the Ox, and culminating on February 26th with the Lantern Festival.
Oxen are honest and earnest. They are low key and never look for praise or to be the center of attention. This often hides their talent, but they’ll gain recognition through their hard work.
In terms of yin and yang? The ox is totally yang.
Seen here is the Chinese earthenware “Bull and Cart” dating between 618 and 906 CE, maker unknown, from the Art & Design collection at the RISD Museum.
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Last year we wrote up the Year of the Rat stamp — the first in the USPS Chinese Zodiac series — designed by then RISD grad student Camille Chew. Below is this year’s stamp for which she again supplied the original artwork. (The Rat stamp was showier, with its shadow effect and gold detailing, but, this still being DeJoy’s post office, it’s amazing that government stamps are still being issued at all.)
