Finding Success in the Year of the Snake
2025 Lunar New Year celebrations are about to kick off. On January 29, a sizeable chunk of the earth’s population will be welcoming the year of the Wood Snake.
In case you were wondering just how many people will be celebrating, here are DeepSeek’s thoughts.
China (1.4 billion), South Korea (51 million), Vietnam (100 million), then the ethnic Chinese in Singapore (about 4.3 million), Malaysia (around 10 million), Indonesia (around 8 million). Then there’s Taiwan (23 million), Hong Kong (7.5 million), Macau (0.6 million). Let’s add those up. 1.4B + 51M + 100M + 4.3M + 10M + 8M + 23M + 7.5M + 0.6M. That’s roughly 1.4B + 204.4M, totaling around 1.6 billion. But wait, that’s just the main regions. There are also diaspora communities worldwide, like in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe. For example, the US has over 5 million ethnic Chinese. Maybe adding another 50 million globally? So total around 1.65 billion.
That’s around 20% of the global population; many of whom will be wondering what the Wood Snake has in store for them in 2025.
Prognosticators among them will be turning to the Chinese Zodiac for guidance.
The Shengxiao
The Chinese Zodiac, known as Shengxiao, is a time-honoured system rooted in Chinese astrology and lunar calendar traditions. It comprises a 12-year cycle, with each year symbolised by an animal: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
According to legend, the order of the animals was determined by a race orchestrated by the Jade Emperor or Buddha, with the Rat winning by cleverly riding the Ox’s back, and the Pig arriving last due to laziness.
The animals are said to reflect personality traits and life paths of individuals born under their respective years. The cycle begins annually with the Chinese New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20, depending on the lunar calendar.
Each zodiac year is further influenced by one of five elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—which cycle every 10 years, and a Yin or Yang polarity. This combination creates a 60-year cycle (12 animals × 5 elements × Yin/Yang). The last few years have cycled as follows:
| Lunar Year (Gregorian calendar dates) | Animal | Yin/Yang | Element |
| 2012 (Jan 23 2012 – Feb 09 2013) | Dragon | Yang | Water |
| 2013 (Feb 10 2013 – Jan 30 2014) | Snake | Yin | Water |
| 2014 (Jan 31 2014 – Feb 18 2015) | Horse | Yang | Wood |
| 2015 (Feb 19 2015 – Feb 07 2016) | Goat | Yin | Wood |
| 2016 (Feb 08 2016 – Jan 27 2017) | Monkey | Yang | Fire |
| 2017 (Jan 28 2017 – Feb 15 2018) | Rooster | Yin | Fire |
| 2018 (Feb 16 2018 – Feb 04 2019) | Dog | Yang | Earth |
| 2019 (Feb 05 2019 – Jan 24 2020) | Pig | Yin | Earth |
| 2020 (Jan 25 2020 – Feb 11 2021) | Rat | Yang | Metal |
| 2021 (Feb 12 2021 – Jan 31 2022) | Ox | Yin | Metal |
| 2022 (Feb 01 2022 – Jan 21 2023) | Tiger | Yang | Water |
| 2023 (Jan 22 2023 – Feb 09 2024) | Rabbit | Yin | Water |
| 2024 (Feb 10 2024 – Jan 28 2025) | Dragon | Yang | Wood |
| 2025 (Jan 29 2025 – Feb 16 2026) | Snake | Yin | Wood |
The element and Yin/Yang aspect add nuance to interpretations, modifying the core traits of the animal signs. For example, a Fire Dragon may embody boldness and passion, while an Earth Dragon might emphasise stability and practicality.
Okay, so on to the 2025 Yin Wood Snake year and what it means for our fortunes.
The Yin Wood Snake
For those born in Snake years (’65, ’77, ’89, 2001) the news isn’t brilliant. 2025 is your benming, or ‘year of destiny’. You’ll need to navigate the year’s ups and downs with humility and mindfulness. It’s not the year to be taking big big risks.
Those born under signs aligned with Snake energy and considered most auspicious this year should be taking risks. Oxen (’61, ’73, ’85, ’97), Roosters (’69, ’81, ’93, 2005), Monkeys (’68, ’80, ’92, 2004) and Dragons (’64, ’76, ’88, 2000) will reap the benefits of big snake energy in 2025. Go large. Let it ride!
It’s supposed to be a challenging year for Pigs (’59, ’71, ’83, ’95) and Tigers (’62, ’74, ’86, ’98) who are believed to clash with the Snake. Perhaps wait another year before embarking on any major projects. For Pigs, generally considered lazy, putting things off for another year will probably be the advice you were looking for anyway.
For everyone else, 2025 should be rather neutral and boring, although it’s hard to imagine a neutral and boring 2025 with Trumpy and his first-buddy Elon Musk setting the agenda.
Whatever your sign, here’s to a safe an prosperous 2025 – 恭喜发财 Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái !
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!