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Another year means another Lunar New Year, this year we celebrate the new start on February 17th. Come join us in a week of festivities as we step into the year of the Fire Horse. We would love to teach you more about this year’s zodiac animal in today’s newspost.
Zodiac Birth year
In Chinese culture your zodiac birth year, also known as “Ben Ming Nian”, is considered your unlucky year. So for people who are born under the Horse year, this will be your unlucky year. We have the animal and element, but each year is also governed by Tai Sui, a celestial general whose influence shapes the year’s energy. Think of Mercury Retrogrades, but in this case lasting for a full year! Back in the days of emperors, it was considered taboo to share the same name as the emperor, so in this case it isn’t surprising that the God of the Tai Sui might not look kindly upon you sharing their zodiac.
Those affected by Tai Sui are advised to take extra care, the most common in modern day is to carry a Tai Sui amulet, perform rituals or prayers at the start of the year or wear red, for example the red string bracelet. The colour red is considered one of the luckiest colours in Chinese culture. It’s said to drive away bad luck and evil spirits, and wearing red during your zodiac year can bring you good luck!
What does the horse symbolise?
Horses were important in ancient and Imperial China, used for cultural, military and agricultural purposes.
The animals were introduced from the West (often including deals with Eurasian nomads), with the Han, Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties relying extensively on hundreds of thousands of horses in its military campaigns.
Horses particularly featured in Chinese art during the Tang dynasty, and winged horses appear in ancient Chinese texts: the tianma (‘heavenly horse’), qianlima (‘thousand-li horse’) and longma (‘dragon horse’).
Because 2026 is a Fire Horse year, the horse's energy gets an extra boost. Fire represents passion, enthusiasm, and transformation. While the horse is already naturally adventurous and energetic, the fire element intensifies these qualities. This makes it a year where half measures don't work; it's all about going all out for what you want!
What does the fire element represent?
In addition to the zodiac animals, each year is also assigned to one of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, or water. The influence of the elements add an extra dimension, for example: a Horse born in 2026 won’t resemble Horses born in 2014, 2002 or before. This is because each complete cycle consists of 60 years as the zodiac signs are overlaid with the five elements. The previous Year of the Fire Horse was way back in 1966!
This year we have the element fire alongside the Horse. Fire represents passion, enthusiasm, and strength. This means it will be an excellent year for taking risks, pursuing big dreams, and discovering your true potential. It also brings intensity and urgency, which can feel motivating but also demanding at times. The combination often creates a faster pace of life and a stronger drive to achieve, this is why it’s especially important to pay attention to your body’s limits and energy.
Horses’ personality
It is theorised that a person's characteristics are decided by their birth year's zodiac sign and element. This means there are five types of Horses, each with different characteristics. These are all the elements of the horse with their personality:
• Wood Horse
Irritable and sentimental, with abundant imagination and insightful analyses of issues
• Fire Horse
Smart, charismatic, lively, overflowing with enthusiasm, but stubborn
• Earth Horse
Optimistic, kind-hearted, righteous, but irritable; with a strong sense of responsibility, and always ready to help others
• Gold Horse
Kind, straightforward, calm, rational, always ready to help others, and popular among friends
• Water Horse
Sentimental, irritable, reliable, amicable, always ready to help others, and very charming for friends of the opposite sex
Horses’ horoscope predictions
We thought it would be fun to also integrate some other information in this post. This might be more interesting for the people who want to involve themselves more into the zodiac signs instead.
Your Year Ahead
2026 is all about the Horse! As such, horses will be in the spotlight for good and bad, and therefore, they should think their decisions through carefully. 2026 supports Horses to have authority. This is the perfect year to show off their true expressive selves, whether that be stepping up with more responsibilities or showing off their true eccentric nature. Take time out in nature, go to retreats, or wherever soothes the soul. Maybe travel in August.
Love & Relationships
Horses love to be in love and to be loved. The special love animal for the Horse is the Rabbit, but love and connection also come through the Tiger, Dog, and Goat. Single Horses should embrace their eccentric side and look for love in less conservative places, such as acting classes.
Horses in a committed relationship need to share more of themselves with their partner, do more together, such as starting a dance class. Enjoy extra love and connection in February, March, July, and October.
Fun facts:
The lucky numbers for the Fire Horse are 1, 3 and 7.
The lucky colours are green, burgundy and gold.
The lucky flowers are Calla Lillies, Jasmine and Sunflowers.
Summary
• Lunar New Year is on February 17th this year, with the Fire Horse representing this year.
• The colour red is the luckiest colour in Chinese culture.
• Your zodiac birth year is considered your unlucky year.
• Each animal and element has their own personality.
We have made many more news posts about Lunar New Year before. If you are interested and would like to know more - you can read about it over here:
2024
2024
2025
Xin nian kuai le! (Happy new year!)
May everything go well for you,
From the Inclusivity Group
