About Lunar New Year

In an interview with USA Today, Professor Zhaojin Zeng compared Lunar New Year to Thanksgiving in America, as it is a holiday associated with traveling to and spending time with loved ones. Lunar New Year is the “largest mass migration of humans each year” according to CNN, with millions of people all over Asia traveling to visit their families.

In China, this holiday will last fifteen days this year. In Vietnam, it will run for a week, and in South Korea the holiday will be celebrated for three days. Next year’s Lunar New Year will fall squarely on February 1st.

In 2019, the members of the law school attended a Lion Dance at Canton House, photos are included below.

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About the Ox

Hard-working, stable, reliable, and honest, the ox is the second animal of the Chinese Zodiac. Kathryn Wortley states the ox is portrayed in a positive light across many Asian countries. Korean proverbs highlight the ox as “diligence, gratitude and loyalty”, the ox is venerated in Shintoism, most commonly practiced in Japan, and one Chinese tradition argued that “placing a metal statue of an ox at the bottom of a river could prevent a flood.” (Wortley, 2021)

The Victoria and Albert Museum states that the ox is a quiet, but opinionated, sign, confident in their belief and occasionally stubborn.

Aspegren, Elinor and Jensen, Erin. (2021). Lunar New Year 2021: What does the ox symbolize, and how will it be celebrated during COVID-19 pandemic? USA Today. Feb. 11, 2021. Retrieved: Feb. 11, 2021. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/02/10/chinese-lunar-new-year-2021-ox-covid-19-celebrations/6712236002/

Hiufu Wong, Maggie . (2021). Lunar New Year 2021: Ushering in the Year of the Ox. CNN. Feb. 11, 2021. Retrieved: Feb. 11, 2021. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lunar-new-year-2021-ox/index.html

Victoria and Albert Museum . (2021). Chinese zodiac: the Year of the Ox. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved: Jan. 15, 2021. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/c/chinese-zodiac-ox/

Wortley, Kathryn. (2021). After a year of anxiety, what can we expect from the Year of the Ox in 2021?. The Japan Times. Jan. 1, 2021. Retrieve: Jan. 15, 2021. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2021/01/01/lifestyle/2021-year-ox/