The Year of the Horse: Ringing In The Chinese New Year

We’re just a few days away from a new year according to the Chinese calendar. As we say goodbye to the year of the snake, we welcome in a larger, mammalian animal: the horse. There are 12 different animals cycled by the Chinese zodiac, so each animal is represented every 12 years. Additionally, there are five elements that cycle within each animal’s cycle. From January 31 2014, to February 18 2015, it will be the year of the Wood Horse.

So what does the year of the horse mean? Let’s check it out.

The Broncos Will Win

Sorry Seattle fans, according to The Denver Times (and republished by The Seattle Times), the year of the horse clearly means that the Denver Broncos will win this year’s NFL Championship game. The Chinese zodiac’s year of the horse starts Friday, and the big game is played the following Sunday, just two days later. Paired with the Broncos’ “Time to Ride,” theme, it seems like a pretty good omen for Denver. Maybe the year of the horse means it’s time for the Broncos to ride to victory.

You Should Name Your Baby “Grass” or “Dragon”

According to astrology, the zodiac symbol under which you’re born has a certain amount of influence on your life. For this reason, many people prefer to name their children a “lucky” name, inspired by their zodiac symbol. For the year of the horse, it is lucky to give your child a name that also includes the Chinese symbol for “grass,” “dragon,” “clothes,” “eyes,” or “tree.” A few examples are: Anan, Sirong, Yamei, Gedun, Jingchen, and Zhenbo. If you’re looking for more Anglo-inspired names, some sources suggest looking for inspiration in mythological or real horse names.

You Could Be The Next Nelson Mandela

Maybe. If you’re a true believer in fate, astrology, and the Chinese zodiac, and you were born in the year of the horse, you might just have as good a chance to change the world as Nelson Mandela did. He was born in the year of the horse back in 1918, and was one of the most loved philanthropists and activists of all time.

It’s Time to Clean Your House

Much like the Jewish cleaning rituals for Passover, it is traditional to clean your house on the eve of the Chinese New Year, and to ensure that all cleaning supplies and evidence of cleaning are tucked away out of sight. It’s a new year on the Western Calendar anyway, so it’s not a bad time to do a full house cleaning. Unfortunately, the eve of the Chinese New Year is a Thursday night, so you might have to save some of the cleaning for the day after the New Year begins.

You Should Cook Chinese Food

We always look at Chinese takeout as a relatively unhealthy splurge, but this Americanized version of Chinese food is quite different from the traditional Chinese meals. To celebrate the Chinese New Year, you should try cooking a number of traditional New Year foods, like steamed rice pudding, long noodles (longer is luckier!), and even nian gao cake, which is a sweet coconut cake made from rice flour. Additionally, you should give a small gift to each family member at dinnertime.

Now enjoy your Year of the Horse and Gung Hay Fat Choy! (Best wishes and congratulations! Have a prosperous and good year.)

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