- Mom with an ox in 1960.

Why am I always reminded of big plaintive eyes whenever I hear of hwangso(ox)? Well, it’s because oxen do have big round eyes. Then, why sadness?

It’s hard to clearly point out the reasons. There is something sad about the way they “open and close” their eyes. To me, it’s different from blinking. It looks like they close the world, pause there for a tiny bit of a second, and then open their eyes to the world again. Somehow that looks doleful to me.

Maybe it’s also because of the way they moo or “cry” – in Korean, we say they cry. Their cry eummae and that just sounds mournful. Probably it’s because oxen have a deep and low voice.

Maybe it’s because of this famous painting by Lee Joong-seop.

Or maybe it’s because oxen work so hard, at least in the traditional Korean society. Until the late 19th century, Korea was an agrarian society and the significance of oxen was great in the farming. Farmers used oxen to plow the land and carry carts of the crops, farming tools or people.

That’s why Koreans say that if you were born in the year of ox, it’s the best that you would be born during the night time because it’s the only time when oxen can rest. I was born in the year of ox and I
believe I was born early in the morning. My mom says it’s not as good as the night time, but still a better time to be born in the year of ox.

It’s funny that it looks like that I have to work hard to get by like most oxen in the old Korean days no matter what time I was born. Or maybe most ordinary people in this modern age have to work hard to survive or succeed. Working, working, working…

At least hwangso(ox) in the old Korean society was always valuable. An ox was generally one of top assets in a farmer’s family. It was the main capital that a family could rely on. With this capital, parents sent their children to schools and even supported them in getting married in the traditional days or even in the early 20th century.

Now, the value of Korean oxen has significantly dropped. Korean farmers didn’t need oxen for farming any more when better and more efficient machines were introduced. When Korea started to import cheaper US or Australian beef for eating, even its importance and popularity in beef industry have decreased too.

Yeah, they are not even eaten much in Korea. Considering the devotion that they had to make for Korean families, these changes are definitely sad. Maybe that’s why they still look sad even in this modern time.

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I’ve heard that this Korean independent movie “Old Partners(Warnangsori)” about an ox and its owner is receiving very good reviews. I Can’t wait to see it!

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Asian Zodiac

1.자(子, Mouse or rat), 2.축(丑, Ox), 3.인(寅, Tiger), 4.묘(卯, Rabbit),
5.진(辰, Dragon), 6.사(巳, Snake) , 7.오(午, Horse), 8.미 (未, Sheep),
9.신(申, Monkey), 10.유(酉, Rooster), 11.술(戌, Dog), 12.해(亥, Pig)

According to an old myth, on one new year’s day, the above twelve animals were told to race to compete for the heaven’s positions. Even if all the animals prepared for the race very hard, the ox was the most diligent one and expected to win the race. The mouse figured out that it would never win the race because of its size, and came up with a trick. It jumped on the ox when the race began and jumped down to the finish line a second before the ox got there. Hence, the mouse got the first, the ox the second and the rest of them followed in the above order.

But it’s more convincing that the order was determined according to their role in time and direction – this Asian zodiac also applies to the hours of a day. The animals were picked up for their time based on how many toes they have and what time they are the most active.

Traditional Korean Horary Signs

1.자(子, Mouse or rat) 23 ~ 01 when mice get most active
2.축(丑, Ox), 01 ~ 03 when oxen get ready to work
3.인(寅, Tiger), 03 ~ 05 when tigers get most valiant
4.묘(卯, Rabbit), 05 ~ 07 when rabbits are shown in the moon (Korean myth that rabbits live in the moon)
5.진(辰, Dragon), 07 ~ 09 when dragons fly and get ready to make rain
6.사(巳, Snake) , 09 ~ 11 when snakes are asleep and not harmful to people
7.오(午, Horse), 11 ~ 13
8.미 (未, Sheep), 13 ~ 15 when sheep eat weeds, resulting more weeds growing
9.신(申, Monkey), 15 ~ 17 when monkeys cry most
10.유(酉, Rooster), 17 ~ 19 when roosters get back to their nest
11.술(戌, Dog), 19 ~ 21 when dogs start to guard the house
12.해(亥, Pig) 21 ~ 23 when pigs are having sound sleep

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2009 under Everyday Life.