Swifties think year of the wooden snake is when Taylor Swift will announce 'Reputation'

The Lunar New Year is underway and Taylor Swift fans are hoping the year of the snake yields an announcement of "Reputation (Taylor's Version)," an era and album symbolized by the slithering reptile.

Swift is meticulous with her timing and announcement clues. In November 2021, she released "Red (Taylor's Version)" a month before 2022 because of her song "22." She released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)" the same year a Capital One commercial had those two eras interacting.

So if an album announcement was to come in 2025, the legions of fans posting theories to TikTok and Instagram would not be surprised. And they're ready for it.

"Is Taylor about to claim her Reputation throne?" @V_Swiftie asks on TikTok pointing to the singer's black outfits at Chiefs games and recent black fingernail polish.

The year of the wooden snake happens every 60 years

Separate from Swiftie predictions is a culture that's been celebrated for more than 3,500 years, according to Wake Forest University's Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology.

Long live the Eras Tour with our enchanting book

"Some people believe that Chinese New Year originated in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC)," the museum's website explains, "when people held sacrificial ceremonies in honor of gods and ancestors at the beginning or the end of each year."

The transition happens in late January or early February. Different from the Gregorian calendar, the date varies each year and is based on the moon cycles. Every 12 years the Lunar New Year cycles through the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

And every 12 years, a different element is paired with an animal: earth, wood, fire, water and metal.

Wednesday marks the year of the wooden snake, a combination that hasn't happened in 60 years. The last occurrence was from Feb. 2, 1965 to Jan. 20, 1966.

"The beginning of the new year is a time that people reflect on what's happened in the past year and send good wishes for the next year," says Shenzhan Liao, the senior vice president and head of the school of Chinese studies for the China Institute in America.

While the snake may be a venomous, malevolent and feared animal in Western civilization, in ancient Chinese culture it is a symbol of wisdom, intelligence and intuition.

"The snake hibernates during the winter and becomes active when the temperature becomes warmer so it has wisdom," Liao says. "The snake is also associated with adaptation — the ability to adapt and be flexible — observing a situation and having the ability to thrive and survive. ... Snakes also have a transformative power."

All three tiers of symbolism could be argued as traits pertaining to Swift's sixth era. Following public criticism in 2016, Swift disappeared for more than a year before returning to the limelight with her 15-track album. Kim Kardashian called Swift a snake on social media and the singer turned it into — at the time — a record breaking tour complete with a gigantic king cobra stage prop.

What we know: With the Eras Tour over, what does Taylor Swift have up her sleeve next?

When asked if the year of the snake could be the vehicle for a "Getaway Car" album, Liao says the meaning behind the Lunar New Year is bringing people together.

"It really is about celebrating with your friends and family. I also feel music has that power to connect, too." she says.

The China Institute plans to observe the Lunar New Year with a cultural extravaganza on Feb. 2 from 2-5 p.m. in New York City. The event will feature musical performances, interactive workshops and a spectacular lion dance.

Liao says the excitement around a possible announcement is also a time for Swifties to learn about a new culture. To honor the Lunar New Year, she offers the phrase: "恭喜发财," pronounced as "gong shi fa tsai." The saying means, "I wish you happiness and wealth."

The year of the snake: How is the Lunar New Year celebrated?

Bringing 'great fortune'

"Some say the snake brings great fortune," says Kelly Ma, the curator of learning and outreach at the Asia Society Museum in New York. " There are a lot of very nice myths around snakes."

Ma explains a famous passage of Chinese culture, from "Classics of Mountains and Seas," of the mythological fight that happens between the water god, Gonggong, and the fire god, Zhurong. During the battle, a mountain that holds up one corner of the sky is knocked down, splitting the sky. Through the cracks, a heavenly river floods Earth. The god Nüwa patches the cracks and saves the planet. Nüwa is portrayed as a supernatural creature with a human face and long serpentine body.

"Nüwa wanted to have friends, so she made her own friends, and those were humans," Ma says of the half-snake, half-human god, "and she became a protector of humans as well."

Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.

Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Will Taylor Swift announce 'Reputation' during the year of the snake?