2025. A new, glorious year on planet Earth with promises of growth and good fortune. And for those of East Asian descent, the end of January means ringing in the next year of the Lunar calendar. And 2025 is the Year of the…Snake.

Wait, what?

I have only lived through one Snake year back in 2013 and haven’t really thought about it much. The snake is one of the twelve auspicious animals that makes up the Chinese Zodiac, and I never paid attention to its meaning until now. For most of my life, Chinese New Year meant a trip to Flushing in Queens, NY and purchasing decorations featuring the auspicious animal at a glance, it is odd that the snake is on the Zodiac to begin with. Snakes have notoriously been associated with trickery. The Catholic Bible story of Adam & Eve shows the Devil take the form of a snake to tempt Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. In Harry Potter, the notorious house of Slytherin’s mascot is a snake. And we can’t forget how superstar Taylor Swift was labeled a snake by media tabloids, inspiring the aesthetic of her Reputation album. It begs the question, why is the snake honored with its own year on the Chinese calendar?

Well, what may be deemed as bad luck in one culture is deemed good in another. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “People born in the Year of the Snake…are often deep thinkers, possessing a sharp wit and keen eye for detail” (Boeckmann, 2024). Snakes were also symbols of authority in China. According to China Highlights, royal envoys carried scepters with two snake carvings on them. And according to Taoist practices, learning to master the snake-like force within the human body through Taoism can help increase human longevity (“Snake Chinese Zodiac Sign,” 2025). The Chinese do recognize the negative traits a snake denotes, such as craftiness and indifference, but they also recognize that these traits must exist for the positive traits to exist.

The 2025 Year of the Snake will bring good luck. Snakes may have a bad reputation, but the positive traits they represent – deep thinking, longevity, authority – are not to be overlooked. Right now, the only thing I am concerned about is where I am going to find snake decorations for my dorm room this year.

Sources:

Boeckman, C. (2024, November 19). Lunar New Year 2025: The Year of the Snake. The Old Farmer’s Almanac. https://www.almanac.com/content/chinese-new-year-chinese-zodiac.

Chinese Highlights. (2025). Snake Chinese Zodiac Sign: Symbolism in Chinese Culture. https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/snake-chinese-zodiac-sign-symbolism.htm.   

This was written by our contributing writer, Lauren DeSantis.