Chinese New Year 2025 in China and Asia begins on the 29th of January.
It is the year of the Wood Snake. A rare combination of the snake and wood element that occurs every 60 years. The wood element enhances the snakes’ traits, creating a year of growth, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It will be a year of renewal and recalibration.
Celebrations begin on the new moon and last 15 days, ending on the next full moon known as the Lantern Festival which began as a celebration for when crops were harvested and thanks was given for bountiful supply. Lantern festival marks the end of the New Year celebrations and in my experience many catch up for final dinners in closing the new year season.
Chinese New Year day is also known as the Spring festival which is considered an important holiday for families. People travelling back to their hometowns within China to visit their family makes Chinese New Year one of the world’s largest annual migrations known as Chunyun or spring travel.
The Chinese New year traditions continue today as a joyful time of the year and as the many preparation activities begin, families gather, prepare meals, there is thorough house cleaning to dispel old energies and welcome the freshness of the new year.
Many buy new clothes and make sure they get a haircut, they decorate their homes with lanterns and lucky red and gold decorations, flowers and banners, they visit family and friends and bring gifts of food and red packets with money for the young, called hung bao.
There is much celebration and attention around the traditional foods eaten, which have a lucky meaning, there are firework displays, and firecrackers are heard wherever there is a lion and dragon dance. Attending the temple is a must during this time, to pray, light incense, and seek blessings for a prosperous year ahead.
As the energetic and dynamic year of the Dragon comes to a close, we welcome the year of the Snake, its element being Wood like the Dragon 2024 and the Rabbit 2023.
The zodiac is a 12 year cycle each year represented by a different animal and being ruled by one of the 5 elements which determines traits, personality and much more.
Snake is the 6th animal in the Chinese zodiac following Dragon and preceding Horse.
The major element of the Snake is Yang -Fire and Snake hour is from 9a.m to 11a.m when the sun is moving up in the sky and warming.
The Snake month is May, the first month of summer in Chinese astrology .
It’s said that the snake fell from heaven, dethroning the Dragon. In China the Snake is called the Little Dragon and is considered very shy and is called such, some say, so that those born in snake year are not discouraged by its position behind the dynamic Dragon.
While the dragon and snake may look similar, the snake does not fly, its entire body is on the ground, feeling every vibration, every footstep, every pin drop. The snake’s energy is grounded, practical and cautious.
The other main legend of the Chinese zodiac it is said, originates from an ancient poem telling the story of the 12 mythical animals which descended from the heavens to help people celebrate the coming of spring and new crops.
In the poem we hear about how the animals descended to earth every 2 hours with their combined journey representing a whole 24-hour day which explains the snakes time position as 9-11am.
The animals appeared in a certain order starting with Rat and ending with the Pig, which later developed into the story of the animals racing each other, in a tale which is often told to children. In this tale of the Great race, organized by the Jade Emperor to determine the position of the animals, the snake very cleverly and strategically coiled itself around the hoof of the horse managing to come 6th in the race in front of horse. Crafty!!
Even though the major element of Snake is fire, 2025 is the Wood Snake.
The five elements, earth, wood, metal, fire and water are known as the Wu Xing and they represent the basic elements of the earth. Fire represents the South and summer.
Wood represents the east and a windy climate, earth is the change in the seasons and the center direction. Water represents the north and winter and lastly, metal represents the west and autumn.
It is believed that these elements not only affect a person’s destiny but also make the universe and its creatures constantly cycle.
Wu Xing philosophy is used to explain the relationship and interactions between various phenomena. As the philosophy evolved it included such fields as alchemy, astrology, traditional Chinese medicine, and martial arts to name a few.
The five elements are in a cyclical relationship where each element generates or creates the next, meaning: wood is used to make fire , fire creates earth, earth produces metal, metal runs water and water makes wood grow, producing a continuous cycle of creation and transformation often regarded as the “generative cycle”.
According to Chinese medicine philosophy, the five elements, cause and define all changes in the Universe and being born under the 5 elements imbues one with certain traits.
- Wood element people possess strong desire for exploration.
- Fire element people find excitement inspiring.
- Earth people seek security and strong foundations.
- Metal people feel compelled to establish order and
- Water elements seek to bond with others emotionally.
And Chinese medicine theory maintains, that each of the elements has a particular emotion related to it. The emotion of the wood element is Anger. As wood element is also the element of spring, it makes sense to think about the now. Wood also represents Health and wellbeing where the elements associate with body organs, for which the wood element represents live rand gallbladder. From the functions of these two organs it is possible to plan, choose and see a clear path ahead.
The wood element for snake associates with spring and wood represents Nature through growth, renewal, change and pushing through. It is a very active energy that allows for allot of movement and progress, both internally and externally. So, in spring we may have more energy to pursue projects, which is why we say ‘spring cleaning’, a good time of year to work on blockages and get things moving.
The theory of Wu Xing is a natural and moral philosophy stating that all things in the universe are created, changed, and in constant conflict and the five elements are at the root of change, creation and conflict.
Chinese traditions are ancient and Wu Xing complexities are very layered and interrelated. This philosophy plays a big role in their unique culture and history.
For more on the Wood Snake personality and traits, Snake is generally universally regarded as sly, and ruthless and can instill terror in many. It is seen as a threat by both Western and Chinese thinking. In most cases it has a fearful image but actually it is also a symbol of wisdom, knowledge , intuition, intelligence, insight and innovation.
The snakes ability to shed its skin represents renewal, transformation and continuous growth, making snake practical visionaries, good leaders and great thinkers.
It is well known that the snake has the ability to swallow an animal bigger than itself, symbolizing ambition, and despite their lack of limbs, they travel fast, representing adaptability, adventure and efficiency.
Wood Snake represents youth, vitality, growth, kindness and flexibility.
Wood Snake also encourages deeper understanding, the spreading of peace and the promotion of cooperation, which aligns very much with the Aquarian Age ideals.
The wood element adds further qualities to the snake year, harmony , love and wisdom, intelligence, vitality and steadiness.
People born in this year according to Chinese zodiac are usually smart, decent, well-educated and humorous people. They can be brilliant artists, political leaders, as well as great thinkers such as Gandhi, Goethe, Kennedy and Picasso.
They are romantic and others feel comfortable and relaxed with them. They are gifted in thinking and creating and especially good at spiritual work , being sensitive and kind.
When working through problems they are calm and rational and their innate sense and insight gives them the possibility to grasp many chances.
But like all the animals, Snake does have weaknesses, though it may not show its weak side to others, and because people cannot see their inner side, they may lack friendships.
They can be a bit stingy, self-absorbed and suspicious which makes people keep their distance from them.
In the zodiac, certain animal signs are more compatible than others and the zodiac signs with harmonious relationships with the Snake are the Rooster, the Ox, Monkey and Horse.
The snake and pig are apt to have misunderstandings and friction and the tiger and snake often have conflicting personalities, so effort is required to build harmony here.
Snake can also be easily jealous and go against those who excel more than them but not learn from others.
In careers they are bold and face challenges head on, they are fond of thinking and strategizing so they can perform brilliantly in work and creating. They are bold in facing challenges and will not give in easily.
As Snakes are born with creation, and are highly sensitive and adaptable they can respond to different situations and their environment quickly, and at the same time knowing themselves clearly as their sixth sense is highly attuned.
The best jobs for Snakes are related in thinking and creation, that utilize their talents and intelligence such as fashion, design, gardening, education, writers, composers, painters, journalists, entrepreneurs, psychologists.
They have their own work style and seldom care what others think of them as they like to work in their own ways.
The best working partners for Snake are Ox, Monkey and Rooster closely followed by Sheep and Horse as long as they cooperate and also value their own worth.
Bad working partners for Snake are Tiger, Monkey and Pig, as they will either become rivals with Snake or they will find it difficult to tolerate each other causing many misunderstandings.
In order to work happily and have greater achievement, Snakes should try to solve problems in a calm dignified manner and listen to others’ thinking more, but because they prefer their own unique style of working, they tend not to listen to others’ opinions so much.
From the oracle card deck of The Five Chinese Elements Oracle by Viki Eskander, card 42 Wood Snake – snake is described as one of the most complicated signs in the zodiac, having more hidden elements of all the signs and is good at keeping everyone guessing.
The oracle says:
Wood snake will have a period ahead of them that requires waiting and strategizing, followed by a quick change when time arrives, therefore to beware of acting without knowing the current of a situation. It says to observe, study a situation and visualize the outcome before acting, keeping intentions to self and to listen to their intuition. Snake should be patient, trust in Divine timing and to enjoy the waiting game, as once they make their move, its full steam ahead.
Yin-Wood suggests a high-level view for a better understanding of what’s ahead.
Preparation is key.
The snake as one of the four travel stars in Chinese zodiac is fast -paced and agile by nature, but it also has the patience to wait for the right moment to make a move.
Yin Wood frequency encourages Snake to have an open mind, embrace new knowledge and to have compassion in their heart, in order to see the bigger picture and to adapt to changes.
The message highlights what we know about the snakes’ characteristic of hiding and striking when it makes its move., therefore it needs to utilize its cautiousness and be patient.
In the Chinese zodiac and generally, Snake in introverted, a cautious observer, cool and mysterious in behavior owing to their suspicious and insecure nature, yet their armor conceals abundant sensitivity, wisdom and lots of passion that is surprising.
Despite it being their year snakes may face some challenges in career and finances in 2025.
They will though be able to slither through if they maintain their optimism and avoid negative influences, as well as prioritising their health.
The wood Snake year is expected to be a time of personal transformation, renewal and growth. Its a time to embrace adaptability, forward thinking and creativity. All of which reminds me and the Chinese zodiac confirms, that there is change, transformation, creativity in 2025, as we are transitioning into the golden age and many different astrology reports are on the same page.
Intriguingly, prior 2025, the year of the tiger, rabbit and dragon are all wood elements, which are associated with creation, innovation, invention, all aspects of which lean towards transformation, renewal and steady rebirth.
Many changes are occurring in our world as we move through these times of great change and those in the innovation industries maintain, for example, that the year of the Tiger 2022 saw much focus on AI ideas. 2023 the Year of the Rabbit, saw competition in Generative AI technology and 2024 the year of the Dragon, had leading AI companies training their own AI models. With foresight they recommend to learn AI technologies and the relevant tools to get job security and career advancement in the coming future.
But for now in 2025 Happy Chinese New Year of the Wood Snake
XIN NIAN KUAI LE
In Mandarin which translates literally to “Happy New Year”
GONG HEI FAAT CHOY
In Cantonese translates to “Wishing you Prosperity”
By Angela Li
Reiki Master/Teacher- Integrated Healer
Loving Intent Sanctuary – devoted to nurturing body mind and soul.
Reiki. Private Reiki Courses. Reiki Share Monthly. Meditation
Energy Balance. Holistic Counselling. Integrated Healing/Kinesiology.
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