Entering the Year of the Ox

Happy New Year! 新年快乐!

Chinese New Year is one of the oldest festivals in the world, but very few people know the legends behind the holiday. Last year we shared an article about the legend of the monster Nian, and for 2021 we’re going to explore the origin of one of the Chinese New Year traditions: fortune calligraphy.

In preparation for Chinese New Year 2021, which officially starts on Friday 12th February, it’s common to decorate your door with the word fú (福), which means happiness or fortune. However, in China you’ll usually see this character displayed upside down. But where does this topsy turvy tradition stem from?

It is said that during the Ming dynasty, the Emperor ordered every household to decorate by pasting fú onto their doors. On New Year’s Day, he sent soldiers to check if his orders we’re followed. Unfortunately, they found that one illiterate family had pasted the word upside down.

For their insolence, the Emperor ordered the family to be punished by death. But thankfully, the Empress took pity on the family came up with an explanation: “Upside down” (倒 / dào) is a homophone of “here” (到 / dào). When it’s upside down, it means that fu is here.

The explanation made sense to the Emperor and he set the family free. From that point on, people have hung the word upside down, both for fortune and in remembrance of the kind Empress.

The Year of the Ox

In Chinese culture, the Ox is a valued animal. Not only because of its role in agriculture but also because of the positive characteristics, such as being hardworking, honest and trustworthy, that are attributed to it. People born in the Year of the Ox are said to have a strong sense of responsibility and manage stressful situations well.

2021 may well be a year when Oxen feel the full weight of this responsibility and will need to draw upon all their resources to keep calm.

That being said, it comes as no surprise that the ox found its way into the myth of the Chinese zodiac.

According to legend, the Jade Emperor said the order of animals in the zodiac would be decided by a race! During which the Ox looked to be the first to arrive, but upon further inspection, the Rat had tricked the Ox into giving him a ride across a river. Just as they were arriving, the Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox. Thus, the Ox became the second animal in the zodiac.

Your Business Fortune

With a volatile year of the Rat behind us, 2021 starts by facing obstacles early on. It will be a turbulent year, and your business may encounter unexpected challenges. Even though you may find it challenging to get the results you expect this year, you will be able to use this time to cultivate your customer relationships and find success.

However, the Ox brings a calming effect that will counter the last year and help to resume a more manageable balance.

Recent years of the Ox are: 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 and 2021.

CRM in 2021

2021 is the perfect time to invest in a CRM system so you can make sure your team is well equipped and organised to face the year ahead. Before introducing customer management software, it’s essential to plan and assess your exact CRM requirements. This will help to ensure that the implementation will be a success.

To help you along the way, we’ve written a CRM Buyers Guide which will help you choose the right solution for you.