I created this piece to celebrate the Year of the Ox using Adobe Illustrator. The color red symbolizes good fortune and joy. Meanwhile, the color gold symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Since the number 4 is regarded as bad luck in Chinese culture, I intentionally lifted one of the ox's forelegs. The ox's body is positioned such that its body faces right to represent forward movement while its head turns back to honor the past.
The Lunar New Year, most commonly associated with the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, is primarily celebrated between January and February beginning with the first new moon of the lunar calendar until the first full moon 15 days later. It marks the first new moon of the lunisolar calendars traditional to many east Asian countries including China, Korea, and Vietnam, which are regulated by the cycles of the moon and sun. The calendar consists of the following 12 zodiac animals: rat; ox; tiger; rabbit; dragon; snake; horse; sheep; monkey; rooster; dog and pig.
To learn more about the history of the Lunar Calendar, I suggest watching the TED-Ed video below.