Entering the Year of the Fire Horse, Carefully

As someone born in the Year of the Ox, I’ve seen an influx of social media posts about how 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse, is finally the year when life comes together for us. According to the zodiac, the transition from the Year of the Blue Snake (or Green Wood Snake) to the Year of the Horse is symbolic of a snake shedding its skin and leaving behind hardship.

Many of us who don’t have context on Chinese culture hear the element and animal of the year without giving it too much weight. For whatever reason, this year has made me more curious, though.

Let's take a step back first.

So far, the Year of the Horse has been in the following years: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, and now 2026. You'll notice there is a 12-year recurring cycle and naturally, other zodiacs fall into those gap years.

Interestingly, the Chinese zodiac isn't in random order, either. The rotation of animal zodiacs has a significant meaning according to Chinese folklore.

Sherry, a Chinese-American influencer who has become everyone's dedicated coach on being more Chinese through practicing TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) health hacks such as drinking hot or warm water as opposed to ice, broke the story of the zodiac down nicely in a three-part TikTok video.

Check out the first part of her video below:

Sherry explains the story of how the Jade Emperor wanted to set a calendar and decided to hold a race among some animals to decide the order of the calendar by the order of the winners. The animals would have to cross a wide river to get to the finish line.

Our first candidates, the cat and the rat, were best friends, but when the rat went to sign up for the race, there was only one spot left. The rat takes the final spot and that eliminates the cat from being a zodiac animal.

The ox, who was worried about being outrun by faster and fiercer animals, trustingly follows the rat (who knows a shortcut), and the rat comes in first place after riding the ox's back to just before the finish line, then jumping off to cross first.

The tiger follows in third place, thanks to its speed, and then the rabbit comes in fourth, having drifted in on a log blown in by the dragon, who was close behind. Thereafter comes the dragon, who got delayed because it stopped mid-race to help a village in need of rain, but still helped the rabbit on its way to the finish line, leaving it in fifth place. Next comes the horse galloping with a snake coiled around its leg. The snake uses this leverage to slither to sixth place, followed by the horse in seventh place. In eighth, ninth, and tenth place, we have a tie between the goat, rooster, and monkey who worked together in a raft. The Jade Emperor rewards the goat eighth for guiding them, the monkey ninth for putting in a lot of effort, and the rooster tenth for finding the raft. The dog, distracted by playing in the water, eventually comes in eleventh. Then, finally, the pig comes in twelfth and in last place because it wasn't mentally prepared to exert so much energy and decided to take it easy along the way.

Now that we have more context, let's get back to the Year of the Horse.

Whilst everyone is already celebrating, the official Year of the Horse actually starts on February 17th, 2026, according to the lunar calendar. This is when many Asian countries, such as China, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and more, celebrate Lunar New Year festivities.

According to Anna Tsui, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse and Year 10 (which can also be interpreted as Year 1 in numerology, since 1+0=1). Year 1 is a year of new beginnings, and the 0 adds an element of creation to that as a source. Fire is set to be the dominant element for the next two decades, embodying passion and compassion. This brings us back to the shedding of the snake skin. Many of us will be letting go of versions of ourselves that we didn’t like and growing both spiritually and into our authentic selves this year.

Where the snake sheds quietly, the horse (associated with momentum, independence, and motion) moves loudly. Whilst this is a good thing, especially if you found yourself bogged down by things you want to leave behind you in 2025... This is exactly why you need to be careful. Momentum can often translate into impatience, which is amplified by fire. While you might be fueled by action, ambition, and desire, you should avoid unchecked or reckless moves.

A good rule of thumb would be to focus more on moving in the right direction instead of making sudden breakthroughs. Remember that enough effort in the right direction can compound slowly into a great result. Don't fall for the exponential growth hype when linear growth can be far more sustainable.

Moving isn't progress unless you're moving the right way. Running with the wrong thing can put you at risk of exhaustion or injury, and understanding this concept might be what makes the difference between building endurance to achieve your dreams in 2026.

In that sense, although we're shedding old skin, 2026 shouldn't be about extreme transformation, just about moving away from what doesn't serve us any longer and closer toward who we want to be. Let go of old expectations, outdated identities, or responsibilities that you no longer relate to, or that might've never been yours and have been forced onto you in the first place.

2026 is about intentional momentum, not urgency or chaos. That might be what makes it such an attractive year. It's a year when you can start on a lighter note and finally step into the beginnings of the best version of yourself.

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