By Morf Morford

Tacoma Daily Index

The year 2020 was memorable in lots of ways, but if you consider it, the calendar year actually started off quietly and uneventfully.

And then in late January everything changed.

It turns out that our Gregorian year designation did not carry the punch and precision of the Chinese New Year.

The Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar. The exact beginning date floats between January 21 and February 20.

In 2020, The Year of the Rat began unusually early – in late January – almost exactly the same day as the first case of COVID in the USA was diagnosed outside of Seattle.

The Chinese lunar calendar is based on an animal, but is sub-divided into male or female, and a basic element (like fire or water).

Yang Metal Rat

The part of 2020 that hit us all was Yang Metal Rat, (if there was ever an ideal name for 2020, or a perfect tribute band to 2020, Yang Metal Rat would be it).

Yang, as you might expect refers to male (Yin is female).

Yang Metal is male, hard, sharp, glittering and glaring iron. The characteristics of Yang Metal are brave, steadfast and unyielding. Other traits of Yang Metal are heartlessness, flaunting, ruthlessness and tyranny.

A visual symbol of Yang Metal Rat is strong wind stirring up the water or a potential hurricane.

I’ll let you decide how appropriate you think any of that was.

The Year of the Ox

If you are wondering when The Year of the Rat ends, it ends when the next year, The Year of the Ox begins.

The Year of the Ox begins with the New Moon on Friday, February 12th, 2021.

Unlike the Rat, the Ox is renowned for slow, steady work. Reliability and responsibility are the key words to frame the year.

The upcoming year will be the year of the Metal Ox, and its message couldn’t be more essential or clear: success will come to those who work hard. Really hard. The new year will be a much-needed season of hard work, duty, discipline, rebuilding and recovery.

The Ox is the second of the Chinese zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party.

The Ox was about to be the first to arrive, but Rat had tricked Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, making Ox the second animal.

The Ox is an animal that delivers (and expects) dedicated, consistent labor. Sounds like what we all need after a year like 2020.

Oxen are honest and earnest. They are low key and never look for praise or to be the center of attention. They might seem to plod along, but they get work done.

Photo by Morf Morford

After a whirlwind and unrelenting year of craziness, slow and steady progress sounds good to me.

With a new president, longer days and a more widely available COVID vaccine, The Year of the Ox, if nothing else, has a very different mood, tempo and possibly even some changes in direction.

One of the things I find fascinating about the Chinese/lunar (also known as Spring Festival) celebration is that it is not just one day – it stretches over several days (February 11th-17th are the officially recognized holidays in China this year). The holiday/festival lasts 16 days from New Year’s Eve to the 15th day of the New Year which also happens to be the Lantern Festival.

The whole idea of a new year, whenever or however you commemorate it, is about new beginnings and fresh starts.

Every year, no matter how promising, or even how dreadful it might become, has its span of time and then a new year, with new hopes, fears and intentions takes its place.

It might be good to keep in mind, that even though in the traditional story, the rat tricked the ox and snuck in front of him, they remained friends.

The rat and the ox, however you see them, work together as they do their duty and graciously prepare the way for the next year.

While it’s true that 2020 was, by far, like no other year, each year takes on its own character and personality and offers its own challenges and opportunities.

And, to give a you a little preparation time, February 1st, 2022, is the beginning of The Year of the Tiger.

Formed over thousands of years, these accumulated beliefs, associations and taboos embody the beliefs, wishes and anxieties of the Chinese people.

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No matter which way you celebrate or commemorate the new year, I thought you’d appreciate these New Year’s related jokes;

Q: What is a New Year’s resolution?

A: Something that goes in one year and out the other.

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.

I see no need to make more New Year’s resolutions when the ones already on the books aren’t being enforced.

This New Year’s, I resolved to lead a better life. Now all I have to do is find someone who will trade lives with me.

My resolution was to read more, so I put the subtitles on my TV.