It's the 2025 Lunar New Year! All About the Year of the Snake and Its Meaning in Chinese Astrology

It's time to celebrate the year of the Wood Snake!

Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, marks the end of winter and the arrival of the spring season on the lunisolar calendar. Plus, it signifies the start of the new year.

The Lunar New Year usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice and between the spring equinox during the months of either January or February. It is regarded as the most popular holiday in China and Chinese communities around the world.

Each year is represented by one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, each holding specific personality traits. Last year was the year of the Wood Dragon, while 2025 is the year of the Wood Snake.

"The Wood Snake year is part of a 60-year cycle of the 60 pillars, which is the 60 possible combinations of the five elements and the 12 animal signs," Chinese metaphysics consultant Vicki Iskandar tells PEOPLE exclusively. Wood Snake, in particular, makes this year distinct from the next.

Similar to Western astrology's elements (fire, water, earth, air), Chinese zodiacs pair with one of the five elements in the heavenly frequency (wood, fire, earth, metal, water). "The element and the animal sign differentiate the qualities and characteristics year after year," explains Iskandar.

While the Snake year comes every 12 years, the last time we had the Wood Snake year was in 1965 according to the Chinese calendar. "The Wood Snake will have many of us on the move, while some of us may finally have the chance to take a break after a challenging Dragon year," she predicts.

Read on for everything to know about the year of the Wood Snake!

Related: What the Year of the Dragon Means for You, According to Your Chinese Zodiac Sign

When does the year of the Wood Snake start?

The Year of the Wood Snake begins at 4:36 a.m. PT on Jan. 29, 2025. It coincides with the new moon in Aquarius, which marks the annual start of Lunar New Year.

What are the birth years for the year of the Snake?

Your Chinese zodiac sign is a snake if you were born during the following years: 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2025.

"A person’s Chinese zodiac sign is determined by his or her date of birth," Iskandar tells PEOPLE exclusively.

What are the personality traits of the Snake sign?

Those born in a snake year are said to be intelligent, mysterious, cautious, wise and intuitive. "As one of the more complicated signs in the Chinese zodiac, the Snake has hidden elements that keep us guessing for its next moves," writes Iskandar on Instagram.

What are the elements of the year of the Snake?

Each of the 12 animal zodiac signs corresponds with one of five elements — wood, fire, earth, metal, water — as part of a 60-year cycle of the 60 pillars, making each year different from the next.

There are 60 possible combinations of the five elements and the 12 animal signs, making specific matchups rare from year to year. For example, the last time it was a Wood Snake year was in 1965.

While each animal sign is associated with different traits and characteristics, so is each element. When you combine the two together, the year boasts unique significance depending on the matchup.

Iskandar tells PEOPLE that we can gain "better insights" into what 2025 will bring by looking at the world events and general trends that occurred in 1965 in comparison to the previous Snake year in 2013, which was a Water Snake year.

"Each pairing of the element and the animal sign has its own dynamics influenced by the interaction between the elements in the pillar, as each of the animal signs is also associated with an element," Iskandar says.

For example, the Snake (a Yin Fire sign) "is more at home" in a Wood environment and "in harmony with nature" since Wood produces Fire in the Chinese Five Elements theory. "Whereas Water clashes with Fire in the Water Snake pillar, which could manifest as disharmony," she adds.

Is the year of the Wood Snake a Yin or Yang year in 2025?

In Chinese astrology, there are Yin and Yang years. A Yang year (ending in an even number) will always be followed by a Yin year (ending in an odd number) and visa versa.

The order of the elements follows the cycle of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water in the Chinese Five Elements theory. It will start with Yang Wood, followed by Yin Wood.

"The Wood Snake has Yin Wood in the heavenly frequency and Yin Fire in the Snake," says Iskandar, noting that the Snake is a Fire sign. Simply put, the Wood Snake year contains Yin Wood and Yin Fire — so 2025 as a whole is a Yin year, Iskandar makes clear.

"A Yang year will highlight more masculine, upright, rigid and linear qualities while a Yin year will be more feminine, softer and more relaxed and spontaneous," she explains. "We’re more likely to soften our stance and venture outside of our comfort zone in a Yin year rather than sticking to our principles and standing our ground in a Yang year."

Related: A Comprehensive Guide to Vedic Astrology, According to an Astrologer

How will 2025's Wood Snake differ from 2024's Wood Dragon?

Just because 2024's Dragon year was also a Wood year doesn't mean it'll be the same as 2025's Wood Snake year. Yin and Yang years differ depending on the animal they match up with annually.

"2025’s Yin Wood is much more flexible, tolerant and peace-oriented compared to 2024’s unbending, divisive Yang Wood," Iskandar says. "The Snake is also much more unpredictable and quicker in action compared to the Dragon."

The Dragon as a Yang Earth sign can be compared to a mountain, which she notes "can be imposing and unmovable." The Snake as a Yin Fire sign can be compared to a candle flame, which she says "transforms darkness into light in an instant."

Yin Fire is also transformative, like a snake shedding its skin. "It’s also unpredictable," Iskandar puts forth. "Ideas and trends can spread quickly... Expect the unexpected!"

Will those born in the Snake year be impacted more?

Yes! Those who are born in a Snake year (1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013) "will experience the most transformative year with major life changes," Iskandar predicts.

When the year falls on the animal sign associated with your birth year, also known as the Grand Duke year, she says it's typically a "pivotal" one. This happens every 12 years.

"If you’ve been considering changing your career, job or residence, this is the year to go for it," Iskandar puts forth. "The Grand Duke visiting your sign offers you a chance to reinvent yourself. This can be your most successful year with major milestones achieved."

She adds, "Opportunities may appear in the form of sudden, unexpected endings that turn out to be blessings in disguise. A positive and strategic mindset will make a big difference in shaping your year."

Related: January's New Moon Will Be the Most Romantic Time of the Year for This 1 Zodiac Sign

What shouldn't we do in the year of the Wood Snake?

The year of the Wood Snake is the year to make the most! Therefore, Iskandar says it's "not a year to sit around or stay in one place."

As one of the travel stars in Chinese astrology, she says the Snake "compels us to move" and many will be called to "travel the world" as a result. "We may feel restless from the fast-paced nature of the Snake, so work off the restless energy with physical activities and remember to stay present!"

What is the horoscope for a Snake sign in 2025?

If you were born during a Snake year, get ready for an "exciting" year ahead!

Be prepared to "life-changing opportunities" that will come your way, notes Iskandar, who says that you "thrive in times of change" as a Snake. "Challenges will also abound, but you have the positive mindset needed to rise above them."

If you maintain a positive mindset, she predicts your Snake return year can be "one of the best years of your life" filled with "major milestones achieved." She adds, "Aim high as you may just reach your dreams, but hold your cards close to the heart until you’re ready."

While you "move fast" as a Snake, Iskandar advises practicing "mindfulness" and staying "present" at all times. "As a Yin Fire sign, your energy can be up and down. Slow down and rest when needed to restore the Fire within."

Be sure to practice this in February, May, August and November especially, when she predicts "life will become even more fast-paced."

Read the original article on People