Chinese New Year is upon us! If you didn't get in the spirit this past NYE, take heart, you are getting a second chance to celebrate the beginning of a new cycle!
Chinese New Year falls on February 12th this year, as determined by the lunar calendar. It signifies the ending of one annual cycle and the fresh start to a new energy for the coming year.
Every year in the Chinese calendar has a specific energy, dependent upon the animal, the element and the phase of the yin/yang cycle it falls under. The year of 2021 will be the year of the Yin White Ox. Let's break that down.
Yin/Yang
To begin with, in Chinese medicine, Yin and Yang are always waxing and waning in regard to each other, observable in the cycles of nature. Yang is associated with the heavens, outward energy, and high noon, while Yin is associated with more inward energy, the earth, and midnight. Both are always present and constantly transforming into each other, the way the sun rises, reaches it's zenith, then descends into sunset and night.
The 5 Elements
White corresponds with the element of Metal, which has the positive qualities of strength, independence, focus, perseverance and constancy. In a similar vein, the watchwords of the Ox are hard work, determination, strength through patience, industry, unity, reliability, and resilience.
When Yin Metal energy is paired with the strength, patience, and industriousness of the Ox, there is a focus on rebuilding, restructuring, and a promise of positive returns on your hard work and determination. As an added bonus, Yin Metal corresponds with the lake, which implies a joyful time! Very appropriate energy to us Minnesotans! A hardworking Ox can take their vacation with a light heart, knowing they have earned it.
While many of us are probably hoping for a more fun, lighthearted forecast after the stresses of the past year, there is much consolation in the steadiness of the Yin White Ox. The Year of the Yang White Rat, aka 2020, was a year of chaos, subterranean aggression, and revolution. Rat years are great years for new beginnings and re-creating, but that often comes with upheaval and uncertainty. We may wish for a fun-filled prediction, but the Yin White Ox can signify a return to order, less chaos, more predictability. The energy of the Ox also means that those who move forward with diligence and consistency will see the best results this year. In this way we can harness the Ox's hardworking and determined energy to achieve prosperity!
To Prepare for Chinese New Year
To harness the energy of the Yin White Ox in 2021, you can prepare your home and self to receive its luck. This is best done by what we think of as a spring cleaning! It's time to get rid of anything that no longer serves your present life, or the life you want to build for yourself. It's okay to hold onto mementos and meaningful objects from your past, but anything that is not something that is either currently useful or emotionally significant can go. In particular, getting rid of things you don't like, broken things, and dead plants will help clear the energy in your home to attract new things that serve you in the coming year.
It's not just a physical cleansing, it's also an optimal time to settle old debts, return what you have borrowed, and forgive old grudges. If you have unfinished projects languishing about, it's a good time to work on finishing them or to organize them in a way that shows your intention to complete them. If you don't intend to complete them, out they go!
If you simply don't have time for such cleaning projects before February 12th, don't worry! A simple intensive sweeping/vacuuming of the house is a quick way to clear old energy along with the dust. Don't forget under the bed and behind the curtains!
If you don't finish in time, don't add those finishing touches the day of! There is no worse luck than cleaning on the first day of Chinese New Year. With the new rush of energy to your home, you wouldn't want to sweep your new luck right out the door. Similarly, it's not a good day to do laundry, or wash hair, as all your luck will go down the drain. Don't use sharp objects such as scissors or knives that can cut your luck in half and don't throw your luck out with the trash!
How to Celebrate
It is considered good luck to bring fresh flowers into the home and to buy yourself a new article of red clothing to wear on the 12th. It can be a new sweater or accessory, or something as simple as red socks or a red ribbon tied in your hair. It is also good luck to have a bowl of tangerines and/or mandarin oranges in your home and to give as gifts. They are symbols of abundance and prosperity. Certain colors and flowers signify funerals in Chinese culture, so it is good to avoid the colors of black and white the first two weeks of after the start of the New Year, as well as not purchasing chrysanthemums.
Begun with morning fireworks, the first day of Chinese New Year is a time of celebration and spending time with family and friends. While this year we cannot travel to all of our neighbors’ houses to wish them luck, we can enjoy a meal with our loved ones in our freshly swept home to usher in the luck of the White Ox. Gong Xi Fa Cai, or We Wish You Wealth!