Tonight is our celebration of Lunar New Year, which is the start of the new year in some, but not all, Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, and Korea. It is the biggest holiday in China, which is the most populous country in the world, so it’s a pretty big deal. It is a week-long holiday that combines elements of Día de Los Muertos, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s in the West. That is, it include getting together with friends and families, honoring ancestors, giving presents (including money), wearing fancy new clothes, shooting off fireworks, eating special foods, and following ancient traditions to bring good luck in the coming year.

Reseachers say it is the largest human migration on Earth. While around one million people travel during the Christmas holidays, at least four million Chinese visit their families and/or ancestral homes (or go somewhere different) for the Lunar New Year. And that doesn’t include travel in the other countries that also celebrate the occasion.

One thing that is different about the Chinese New Year is that they have twelve Zodiac animals, one of which is assigned to each year. They believe each year has a particular energy, based on the Zodiac animal, and that the people born that year share some characteristics with the animal. However, the specific animal is not the same each time in its twelve-year cycle. Instead, each time round the animal is particularly associated with one of the five Chinese elements–Earth, Fire, Metal, Water, and Wood. On top of that, each specific element with each specific animal also has a yin manifestation and a yang manifestation. So all in all, there are 120 different chi/element animals.

So, to the extent US communications celebrate the Lunar New Year at all, they usually call 2025 “The Year of the Snake.” However, it is actually the Year of the Yin Green Wood Snake. I am not knowledgeable enough to talk about what all of that indicates. HOWEVER…I discovered this beautiful guided meditation about tapping into the energy of the Yin Green Wood Snake. I personally find it very empowering as I try to navigate this year. To me, the metaphor of the tree, which remains rooted despite heavy winds around it, which it allows to make it sway instead of breaking, is a lovely support to my Shock and Activate intentions (see this post if you don’t know what I’m talking about). But even if you aren’t into Shock and Activate, I hope this meditation will support you in having a successful 2025.