(1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021)
Happy Chinese New Year, xīn nián kuài lè 新年快乐 to everyone! If you’re Cantonese, then gong hei fat choy. We wish you prosperity and good fortune for the 2021 Chinese Year of the Ox.
Feb 12, 2021 is the beginning of the Lunar New Year, and it’s the year of the Metal Ox.
The Ox was the second animal to cross the finish line in a race to the Heavenly gate. He finished just behind the clever rat, who was riding on the Ox and jumped across the finish line just before the Ox crossed it!
The old Chinese story behind this was that the Jade emperor ordered the race to select the twelve animals that were to be his personal guards.
People born in the Year of the Ox include those born in 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, and 2021. If you’re a Ox, read on for a few more details!
The Ox Personality
They’re hard-working, goal-oriented, and reliable, with an unwavering attentiveness to friends and family.
This trait can make them good leaders, especially when coupled with their strength of will and determination. As with anything though, this can be their downfall, when they become overly convinced that it’s their way or the highway!
Even worse, sometimes they can be overly conservative in their approach, leaving opportunities on the table. Such a steadfast and serious sign can sometimes suffer from loneliness or insecurity as well.
Most compatible with: Rabbit or Snake, but Rat, Monkey, and Rooster are best.
Be careful around: Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Goat
See more fun facts in this article on the Chinese Zodiac Ox sign.
Chinese Zodiac Elements
Chinese astrology assigns each zodiac year with one of the five elements (Metal, Water, Wood, Earth, and Fire).
With twelve zodiac signs, that means each element/zodiac year occurs every 60 years.
Since the year of the Rat was 2020, and starts with the metal element, the year of the Ox in 2021 is also the metal (also sometimes referred to as “Gold”) element.
| Element | 12-Year Cycle |
| Wood | 1924–35 |
| Fire | 1936–47 |
| Earth | 1948–59 |
| Metal | 1960–71 |
| Water | 1972–83 |
| Wood | 1984–95 |
| Fire | 1996–2007 |
| Earth | 2008–19 |
| Metal | 2020–31 |
| Water | 2032–43 |
Each Zodiac sign is also assigned a fixed element, and Earth is the fixed element for any year of the Ox as it is for the Dragon, Goat, and the Dog.
For more detailed information on Chinese elements, see this article on The Chinese Five Elements.
Full Zodiac Animal Chart
Below is the full spectrum of Chinese zodiac animals. Click on the image to look up your own sign by birth year, and read more about how Judy, Sarah and Kaitlin rediscovered their Chinese Zodiac signs in Hong Kong.
Happy New Year everyone!
If you’re looking to shower your family and friends with well-wishes and greetings or at least understand them, check out 23 of the most common Chinese New Year greetings in both Mandarin and Cantonese.
Don’t forget to visit our Chinese New Year recipe planning guide to plan your own celebration meal.
Happy New Year to the Wok Family, enjoy you so much and look forwrd to a wonderful new year!
Thank you Billie and happy Year of the Ox to you and your family as well!
thanks for bringing chinese new year a bit closer to us in germany… gung hai fat choi
Hi karen, you’re welcome and gung hei fat choy to you and your family in Germany!
KungHeeFatChoy as we say in Hawaii, to the Woks ofLife family!
Hi Hilo, thank you for the shout out from Hawaii and Gung hei fat choy to you and you family too!
Happy New Year to the “Woks of Life Family”
During these trying times of COVID-19 you have provided us with so much inspiration and fun with your wonderfully delicious recipes. Thanks to you, we learned and enjoy cooking Chinese food, although now we can no longer order take-out since following your recipes we now cook better food than we can get from the restaurants.
But thank you for lifting our spirits and connecting us with travel memories of places which hopefully will be able to visit soon once again.
Thank you Bill, Judy, Sarah & Kaitlin
Hi Philipp, thank you for your Lunar New year wishes. Hope you and your family enjoy a healthy and prosperous year too! Keep up the great cooking in the Year of the Ox.
P.S. Forgot to add, my son was born in the year of the Monkey. I had a good laugh. Sometimes, he’s just too clever.
Hahah!
Happy New Year to you! Thank you for the amazing recipes and sharing information about your culture. I have enjoyed every single recipe that I have tried.
Happy New Year, Vera, and thank you so much for that kind feedback. So happy to have you cooking with us!
A happy and healthy new year to all of you. Thanks for all of your fabulous efforts this year. Stay safe and healthy in the year of the Ox.
Thank you so much, Mitch! Happy new year to you as well!
Thank you so much for giving us a peek view into traditional chinese zodiac signs! Not to forget all the outstanding receipes 😃
You’re welcome, Carl! Thank you for reading!