Adobe celebrates Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year!

2021 is the year of the Ox – that hardworking, intelligent, and reliable creature of the field. Legend holds that the Jade Emperor declared that the zodiac order would be decided by the order in which animals arrived at his party. The Ox came in second after he was tricked into giving the Rat a ride, so Ox is the second sign of the zodiac. Despite that tough break, the Ox is valued and praised for its positive contribution to the development of the society. Like the ox, people born in the Year of the Ox are said to be industrious, honest, persistent, and always glad to offer help. Born the year of the Ox myself, I am especially excited to ring in the new year and welcome 2021!

Over a billion people embrace the Lunar New Year. Although often mistakenly referred to as a Chinese holiday, it is celebrated in many Asian cultures as an important time for family celebrations including large gatherings for festive meals and lots of time in the kitchen preparing traditional delicacies like dumplings, fish, rice cakes, spring rolls, and sweets. Growing up, our celebrations included making dumplings, playing traditional games and bowing to the elderly to wish them a prosperous new year.

This year, of course, Lunar New Year celebrations will be different. We are confronting not only a pandemic, but also recent acts of violence against the Asian/Pacific Islander community here in the United States. We will draw from the strength of our traditions, and continue to honor Lunar New Year by exchanging red envelopes for luck and an offering of good fortune for the future.

In connection with the decision to provide additional global days off in 2021, Adobe has aligned one of those global days off to February 12 to honor Lunar New Year. Leading up to the holiday we’re encouraging employees to spread good wishes by exchanging specially created digital Lunar New Year appreciation e-cards. This offers a fun and safe way to thank colleagues for their work on a project or to recognize outstanding contributions to the team. The Asian Pacific Islander at Adobe Employee Network (APIA) is also holding a global cooking demonstration to share our love of food around this festive occasion.

After a year with so many challenges, I’m pleased to have the steady, honest, and hardworking Ox to guide us through 2021. Take a moment to celebrate all the unique cultures that surround us.

I wish you all good fortune and good health in the months to come.