Year of the Ox
By Choe Chong-dae
Although one-and-a-half months have already passed since the New Year dawned under the Western calendar, the majority of Koreans regard the first day of the Lunar New Year as the real beginning of 2009, and that happened on Jan. 26.
Peoples of East Asia have been observing this traditional New Year since time immemorial. It is based on the lunar calendar, originating from China, in which each year is represented by one of the 12 animals of the zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Chicken, Dog and Pig. Each lunar year commemorates a different zodiac animal in this 12-year circle. Every 12 years, the process begins all over again. According to the lunar calendar and Chinese astrology, the year 2009 is the year of the Ox.
Among the 12 zodiac creatures, I have long been attracted to this animal due to its legendary traits of honesty, faithfulness, strength, gentleness and wealth. Since the dawn of civilization, the ox has been one of the animals most intimately associated with humans and it occupies a unique role in history.
Accordingly, people consider them the oldest form of wealth because they provide us with meat and milk while eating nothing but grass. Furthermore, Koreans eat ``seonji (clotted blood) soup" with oxen's meat and blood the morning after a heavy night's drinking to treat hangovers. In this way, the beasts have served Koreans' interests for millennia.
Korea has four distinct seasons and farming cycles that depend on them. Farming determined the seasonal customs of our country, as the national economy depended primarily on agriculture until recently. The ox played a significant role in traditional agricultural society in Korea, as it has been a vital assistant to farmers by plowing fields and pulling carts. It could also be sold at for a high price.
Like the horse, the ox has been used as a metaphor and in analogies addressing the specific nature the animal possesses _ its strength and the role it plays for human beings. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that figures of clay oxen and mural paintings depicting them have been found in ancient tombs in China, Japan and Korea.
In addition, it's noteworthy that images of the 12 animals of the oriental zodiac, including the ox, were carved on ancient pagodas, stupas and royal tombs during the Silla period in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Although there are numerous ancient valuable cultural remains and artifacts in Korea, I have been especially admiring of the artistic value of the 12 zodiac animal sculptures engraved on the tombs of surrounding slabs.
Of all the royal tombs in Gyeongju that portray the 12 zodiac animals, the one for General Kim Yu-shin is the most remarkable, with its elaborate and finely carved zodiac figures. General Kim was posthumously awarded the title of king by Heungdeok, the 42nd ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla, in recognition of his outstanding achievement in the unification of the ancient Three Kingdoms, Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla.
The 12 granite panels of zodiac symbols are all uniquely portrayed in upright human form, all bearing a weapon, with only the heads being of animals. It is believed that these 12 animal ``soldiers," with their weapons, guarded the soul of the deceased who were buried in a particular tomb. They were always positioned in accordance with the points of the compass, representing directions and seasons. Accordingly, in the customary order of the zodiac cycle, the ox is always located next to the rat and indicates the northern-northeast direction and the 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. time period.
It is assumed that the use of protective zodiac figurines as decorations in Silla tombs is a unique aspect of ancient Korean art, even though the practice had originated in China earlier.
Because the Ox symbolizes prosperity and is closely associated with strength and hard work, I am convinced that the year 2009 will be an auspicious year to pull Korea out of its unprecedented economic turmoil.
Like the animal's slow and honestly prudent pace, we should move forward in this year of the ox only step by step. For those who wish for good luck, I encourage you to keep a picture or painting of the ox to help to do the trick, instead of a talisman, believed to dispel evil spirits. Indeed, appreciating the aesthetics of this image from the 12 zodiac figurines at the Silla tomb might bring good fortune to everybody in this New Year of the Ox.
The writer is president of Dae-kwang International Co. and the Korean representative for Compagnie Cotonniere of Paris, France. A long-time director of the Korean-Swedish Association, he can be reached at dkic98@chol.com