A full year has passed since Chinese New Year 2024 and the article I wrote about the Year of the Wood Dragon. Yet, here we are again, ready to explore a new chapter of the Chinese New Year: starting January 29, 2025, the Year of the Wood Snake begins!
Quick Summary
Chinese New Year is a millennia-old celebration marking the arrival of spring through symbolic rituals designed to clear away the old and welcome the new. Rooted in the lunar cycle, it features family feasts, dragon and lion dances, fireworks, and the iconic exchange of red envelopes. The Chinese zodiac, based on 12 animals and five elements, defines each year with unique qualities and influences.
In 2025, we enter the Year of the Wood Snake, a symbol of wisdom, elegance, and reflection. Those born under this sign are known for their intelligence, meticulous nature, and natural affinity for art and beauty, while also being private and unwaveringly determined.
For 2025, black, the lucky color associated with the Wood Snake, takes center stage, representing elegance and power. For those who wish to incorporate it without wearing it, hybrid cosmetics by Lebubè offer solutions like the Tea Mascara and Tinted Lip Oil and Balm in Enigma, perfect for adding a sophisticated touch.
Chinese New Year: Between Zodiac and Ancient Traditions
To keep things engaging, let me give you a quick overview of what Chinese New Year entails, focusing on astrology and traditions. For a deeper dive, you can check out our previous article on the Year of the Wood Dragon (and let us know in the comments if you’d like an article focused solely on Chinese New Year beliefs, rituals, and traditions!).
Unlike Western astrology, which revolves around 12 signs linked to constellations and four elements (fire, earth, air, water), the Chinese zodiac assigns one of 12 animals from the Sheng Xiao to each year, with attributes tied to five elements (metal, water, wood, fire, earth) and the Yin-Yang polarity.
Chinese New Year is a 15-day festival that ushers in spring, deeply connected to ancient legends and traditions. Based on the lunar cycle, it begins with the new moon on a date that varies each year but always falls between January 21 and February 20.
Traditions include cleaning homes, decorating with red lanterns and couplets, and hosting symbolic family dinners. These rituals aim to sweep away the old and welcome the new, fostering good fortune and prosperity. Other customs include fireworks, lion and dragon dances, and exchanging red envelopes filled with money. Actions believed to bring bad luck, such as sweeping floors or taking out the trash on New Year’s Day, are avoided.
The Year of the Wood Snake: Personality, Strengths, and Weaknesses
The Year of the Wood Snake begins on January 29, 2025, marking the first day of Chinese New Year. Like all zodiac signs, the Snake recurs every 12 years (e.g., 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013). However, the Wood Snake appears only once every 60 years, as it did in 1905, 1965, and now 2025.
The Wood Snake is a captivating zodiac sign, embodying great wisdom, intelligence, and reflection. People born under this sign are known for their strong will and ability to deeply understand human nature, tackling problems with a calm, rational, and philosophical approach. Excellent communicators, they are popular yet selective about relationships, offering unconditional loyalty to only a chosen few.
Lovers of beauty, art, and tranquility, Wood Snakes prefer serene environments and may occasionally retreat into solitude for meditation. They possess a sharp sense of humor, making them enjoyable company. Professionally, they excel in roles requiring study, creativity, and thoughtfulness, thanks to their serious, stable, and detail-oriented nature.
Their rationality drives them to avoid unnecessary risks and despise impulsive decision-making. Beneath their calm exterior lies unstoppable determination. With a natural elegance and refined taste in art and fashion, they are generous to loved ones but can be jealous and possessive, expecting absolute loyalty from friends and partners.
Wood Snakes combine ambition, style, and intuition to achieve success while staying true to their ideals (My Pandit, 2024).
The Year of the Snake: Lucky Colors and Makeup Tips
In Chinese tradition, each year is associated with a lucky color based on the zodiac sign. For 2025, black reigns supreme as the lucky color for the Wood Snake (Times of India, 2024). Although black often carries negative connotations, symbolizing death or authority, it is also the king of colors, representing elegance and power (China Highlights, 2024). For the next 365 days, wearing a touch of black—like a starless night—can enhance good fortune. And this is where Lebubè steps in with joy and style!
While black is universally recognized for its elegance and versatility, many people (myself included) avoid wearing it, convinced it conveys an image that is too austere, distant, or tied to melancholic contexts. The fear of turning into Wednesday Addams during the spring and summer months just doesn’t sit right! We are thus drawn to lighter or brighter tones, perceived as more reassuring and capable of reflecting a more open and sunny approach to daily life.
However, for those who want to harness the timeless charm and elegance of black without necessarily wearing it, Lebubè’s hybrid cosmetics offer endless possibilities (always staying true to our principles: vegan-friendly, Halal-friendly, made in Italy, 80%+ natural):
Tea Mascara: Enriched with six Asian teas, plant-based squalane, and castor seed oil, it naturally strengthens lashes, delivering intense black pigment without Carbon Black. Pair it with the Lash Primer and Overnight Mask for extra volume
Tinted Lip Oil and Balm in Enigma: With 86% natural ingredients, this lip oil adds a cool, intense tone while keeping lips hydrated with a glossy, non-sticky finish.
Year of the Wood Snake: “Shed Your Skin” to Be Reborn
Each Chinese New Year brings a fresh start and a new story to tell, and the Year of the Wood Snake is no exception. The charm of this sign lies in its wisdom and mystery, inspiring us to reflect, transform, and find beauty even in shadows.
Chinese New Year 2025 invites us to slow down, listen to our inner voice, and embrace the power of transformation. Like a snake shedding its skin, we can let go of what no longer serves us and emerge stronger and more authentic, ready to face the new year with grace and determination.
FAQs
What is the Chinese calendar in 2025?
In 2025, the Chinese calendar marks the Year of the Wood Snake, beginning on January 29, 2025, and following the lunar cycle that determines Chinese New Year dates.
What are the traditions in Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year traditions include cleaning homes to eliminate bad luck, decorating with red lanterns and couplets, hosting family reunion dinners, exchanging red envelopes with money, enjoying fireworks, and performing lion and dragon dances.
What is the next Chinese New Year animal in 2025?
The next Chinese zodiac animal for 2025 is the Snake, specifically the Wood Snake.
Why is 2025 a Snake year?
The Chinese zodiac operates on a 12-year cycle of animals, and 2025 falls under the year of the Snake, which occurs once every 12 years. This specific year is also a Wood Snake year, which happens every 60 years due to the combination of animals and elements.
What is the lucky color for the Year of the Snake 2025?
The lucky color for the Year of the Snake in 2025 is black, symbolizing elegance, power, and sophistication.
What are the personality traits of the Snake?
People born in the Year of the Snake are known for their wisdom, intelligence, and reflectiveness. They are meticulous, reserved, determined, and naturally inclined toward beauty and art. They value calm environments, are excellent communicators, and show loyalty to trusted individuals.
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