Happy Chinese New Year
Asian dancer Marguerite Barnett performs a Chinese fan dance during Sunday's open house at Asian Arts and Decor in Sarasota.
Today marks the beginning of the year of the ox in the Chinese lunar calendar, kicking off a 15-day celebration in China and around the globe.
Around Sarasota, most of the celebrations were truncated into two days over the weekend.
The new year celebration, during which ethnic Chinese and sinophiles -- people who admire and study Chinese culture -- gather to watch dragon dances, eat specially prepared food and visit with family, heralds a year that is expected to bring hope and prosperity.
The Chinese zodiac consists of 12 animals that, as legend has it, responded to an invitation from the Buddha to meet him on the new year.
All the animals were invited, but only 12 came, and Buddha named a year after each.
Those born in a specific animal's year are believed to possess the traits of that animal.
The ox is a symbol of prosperity, fortitude and hard work.
People born during ox years are said to be stubborn in the face of adversity, dependable, patient and methodical.
President Barack Obama, who was born in 1961, is an ox.
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