Here is a postcard from the Philippines! So far I’ve shown a few Chinese New Year cards – rat and snake, I believe. Today I’m sharing with you an adorable illustration commemorating 2021, the Year of the Ox! The ox is the second in the order of zodiac animals. Some of the traits associated with “oxen” are reliability, honesty, perseverance, steady effort and determination (and on the flip side, stubbornness and weak communication skills). They also generally are even-tempered and gentle – as can be seen here with Mr./Mrs. Ox serving as a warm, cuddly companion. I mean, I don’t know if I’d consider “cuddliness” to be among the traits of oxen but that just looks comfy as heck. Anyway, you guys remember the story about the Jade Emperor organizing a race to decide the order of the zodiac animals? The ox’s story connects to the rat’s, which I talked about here –
In short, the rat hitchhikes off of the hard-working ox until the very end, when it jumps into first place. But because of the ox’s nature, no ill feelings were had. Then again, it was never actually revealed what happened in the locker room after the race… but back to the point – thank you so much Nina for sending me this super cute card and for all your kindness!
